


Spirited Away

by snowcloud8



Series: The Scream Series [1]
Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Anxiety, Be Careful What You Wish For, Character Turned Into a Ghost, Demonic Possession, Dimension Travel, Divorce, Dysfunctional Family, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family Drama, Family Issues, Moving, Possession, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychic vampire, Psychological Torture, Separations, Single Parents, Sleep Deprivation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-27
Updated: 2018-02-27
Packaged: 2019-03-24 16:10:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 29,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13814727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowcloud8/pseuds/snowcloud8
Summary: After being uprooted from her life in Eerie, Indiana, Ari Faux is Amity Park's newest resident until she accidentally ends up stranded in the Ghost Zone. With her fair share of encounters with killer ghosts, time traveling portals, and PTSD, it's all she can do to stay sane. But her adventures may yield some unintended consequences. Takes place during Season 3. Prequel to the Scream Series.





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moving is always hard.

Sleeping on the soft carpet of her bedroom floor, Ari Faux had mixed feelings when she woke up that morning. This was the last day that she was going to be spending in that room, in that house. Without all of her furniture, everything felt empty, almost barren. The walls, now void of all her posters and decorations, made her feel like a piece of her soul had been lost. It was as if all the memories of the place had been stripped away. Even the smell of the carpet wasn't hers anymore. Her mother had it cleaned after most of the initial furniture had been moved out. If it wasn't for memories, and scars of tape and sticky tac leftover on the walls, it was like she had never lived here at all. Like she never had existed. It made her feel very lonely and full of longing. It was her house and yet, it wasn't. Not anymore.

She wanted to pull the covers of her sleeping bag over her eyes and pretend it was just a bad dream. Just for a little while longer. But she didn't have that luxury. The moving van would be here soon, and she still had to get dressed and ready for when they came. Her mother Kimiko had reminded her about this horrible fact when she came in to wake her daughter up.

"Let's get a move on, kiddo. Amity Park's awaiting!" her mom said with a cheerful air, but Ari was hardly cheerful. Exhaustion hung heavy in her dark brown eyes as she begrudgingly rolled up her sleeping bag and pillow and stuffed them into her suitcase. It was packed next to her worn, stuffed rabbit, Junpei. He was black and white and had a slightly torn ear, but he had held together after all of these years. She was eighteen, but she never grew out of him being her favorite comfort when she was sad, and today she needed him now more than ever.

After brushing her teeth and long black hair, she pulled on her usual green Fox Racing hoodie over her black denim jeans, t-shirt, and tennis shoes. Hearing the hum of a motor vehicle on their gravel road, she glanced out the window with a faint look of dread on her face. No cars ever went down their little dirt road; they lived out in the middle of nowhere, with nothing but fields and forests. The only people who did visit were the mailman, the nearby farm hands, who often drove their pickup trucks or tractors nearby, and the occasional marksman that came out for deer hunting. But the noise of the engine sounded nothing like either of them, and deer hunting season wasn't for another month, so it had to be the moving van Dad had hired. Two stocky men got out of an orange U-Haul and began piling in the remainder of their things they had set in the garage. Most of the stuff they had was going into storage, but the few boxes that were labeled with green duct tape went into their car.

It really was happening. They were moving. She hadn't believed her mother when she mentioned it a month ago. She had thought it was some cruel, sick joke because her mother always complained about their plumbing, especially when she had brought out the For Sale sign they had in the garage for years to stick up in their front lawn.

She had also thought it weird that her mom began bringing more friends over to show off their house, and even let Ari bring more friends over as well; her mom loved decorating and hosting parties, so it wasn't like it that unusual for her to do this. Seeing the movers packing up all their boxes made it all too official.

This was the place she took her first steps, the place she had learned to ride her bike, the place she had her first sleepover! She spent _eighteen years_ of her life making memories here, and now it was someone else's home to make memories in. Her mom's excuse was that the house held _too many_ memories and that they deserved a fresh start, which apparently meant moving into her aunt Ayame's house in Amity Park, Minnesota, three states over. Her mother had attended an engineering and agriculture conference that had landed her a job at Axion Labs that she simply couldn't say no to. The money was good, and while she couldn't house hunt from three states away, they'd be able to stay with relatives until they had officially settled in, so at least they wouldn't be staying in a completely unfamiliar area. But that didn't make it any less painful to leave.

The warm and cool September air tickled her face slightly, as if the wind was bidding her goodbye. She almost thought to concern herself over the neighboring farm cats they fed their scraps to, but most of them were feral enough to catch their own dinners. The waif of hayfields and corn blew around her, along with a slight updraft of manure and fertilizer from a distant cattle farm (as horribly disgusting as it was to most people, she had a feeling it was a smell she was going to miss the most).

"Come on, Inari," her mother grew impatient, stressing Ari's real first name. "The movers just finished packing up the rest of the stuff into the van. Finish up whatever you're doing or we'll move on without you."

_Good. Then that means I can stay here, and you can leave..._ she thought bitterly as she wistfully looked back at the house before she conceded defeat and silently piled into her mom's blue Chevy Malibu. The only thing they had left behind were the tire tracks imprinted in the dirt.

 


	2. Welcome to Amity Park

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moving to a new school is even worse when it's haunted.

It was almost evening by the time the Fauxs made it to Amity Park. Both had taken turns in driving, but Ari had hardly said a word the entire trip, spending most of her time reading, listening to the radio, or watching some movies she had on her portable DVD player. Except the one time they stopped to eat at a Nasty Burger in Davenport, Iowa, it was almost nine hours of deafening silence. It was a bit unnerving to her mom, but she didn't know what else to do. If her daughter was going to use her usual strategy of steaming angrily in the silent treatment, she would just have to wait it out. Eventually, Ari would just give up and move on.

"Cheer up, Inari. You'll _love_ Amity Park! There are stores and malls for you to shop in, movie theaters and video arcades to play in, and plenty people for you to get to know. It'll be much better than quiet old Eerie, Indiana."

"I _liked_ quiet, old Eerie, Indiana. It's where all my friends were...," Ari mumbled so quietly, her mother couldn't hear her; didn't matter much. Even when she did talk, her mom never listened. She still couldn't believe she had to move, and in the middle of her senior year of high school. Who would want to make friends with the quiet new girl who had no friends? It was hard enough for her to make new friends as it is. She got abnormally shy around people that she didn't know, specifically with people her own age, and even when she did manage to befriend someone, it was hard maintaining the friendships she already had because she lived so far on the outskirts of the small town where most of the teens hung out.

"Ah, here we are. Home sweet home," her mom said, relieved that they had finally made it, trying to perk up her daughter's foul mood. Pulling up in front of the brick house, with the moving van pulling up from behind them, they parked and achingly got out of the car.

"Whooo boy, I am _stiff!"_ her mom said as she stretched her arms and legs out, feeling her neck pop slightly as she turned towards the movers. "Just set out the green duct tape boxes for us, boys. We can handle taking those in."

Without hesitation, the movers began unloading the few boxes that couldn't fit into their car onto the sidewalk as Ari and her mom began unloading some of their belongings. Shoving her hands into her hoodie pockets, she followed after her mom as she rang the doorbell. They stood there for about five seconds before they were greeted by a middle aged woman sporting a short brown ponytail, loose tank top, yoga pants, and a mp3 player.

"Hey strangers! Welcome home!" cheered her aunt Ayame as she pulled both of them into tight hugs before letting them inside. If the look wasn't obvious enough, the smell of sweat betrayed her to having just comeback from a workout. "Sorry about the smell. Just got off the treadmill. So, how was the trip?"

"Not too bad. The traffic was fairly good to us in Illinois and Iowa, since we managed to drive around Chicago. But when we got to Minneapolis, it got a bit more hectic."

"Ah, I was worried the construction there might be a problem. They're still trying to fix up all the lanes so that more tourists can visit and..." Ayame continued prattling on with her small talk, updating her mother on all the little happenings while Ari started to tune them out again. She looked around at the living room of what would be here new dwelling. They had redone the wallpaper the last time she had been here, which was about four years ago, and the kitchen was completely remodeled. The dishes now had a wall of cabinets to be stored in rather than a cupboard. The only thing that looked the same there was the fridge: covered head-to-toe in magnets, pictures, schedules, and report cards. While they began talking, Ari began bringing in her boxes.

"...and when the kids start school, I know they'll get along- you can put those in the guest bedroom on the left, Inari," Ayame said, interrupting midsentence to instruct her niece before returning to her conversation. "She has been so excited to hear that her cousin has been coming to stay with her, she wouldn't sit still! She thinks of Inari as big sister."

After moving most of her stuff into her bedroom, her back was a bit sore and her arms felt weak from all the heavy lifting. It was the room she spent most of her time in when staying over. It had dark blue walls and hardwood floors like the hallway. The only difference was that the hallway had portraits of the family nailed on the wall. The bed had wire polls for the front of the bed and no headboard, leaving the back of the wall to prop up the many mismatched pillows and quilts laid on the bed. It took up most of the room, except for the wooden wardrobe at also acted as a vanity and the desk in the corner next to the closet. It was smaller than her old room, but it would do.

"Hey Cuz!" waved her cousin Hanako, who was about a foot shorter and six years younger than Inari, and had medium, brown hair and grey eyes.

"Hey Hanako, it's good to see you," Ari grinned politefully. Personally, she didn't know her cousin all that well, since they would only visit during the holidays. But she didn't completely dislike the company either.

"It's Hannah now, actually," she corrected. "I got my name changed."

"Oh, did you now? Why's that?"

"I got tired of people saying it wrong or that it was weird," the twelve year old shrugged. "Mom's cool with it."

This made Ari frown slightly. Since she and her family were of Japanese descent, they had names that most people didn't encounter every day in the United States, so most people called them by their nicknames instead. Her uncle Kenji was Ken, aunt Ayame was Aya, mom was Kim instead of Kimiko, and she herself was Ari instead of Inari. Some part of herself resented the fact they had to feel like they had to change their names to fit in, especially since someone as young as Hanako had already been feeling the pressure. But she couldn't help where she lived, just like she couldn't help what culture she came from.

"...So where's Uncle Ken?" Ari asked, hoping to change the subject to something more pleasant.

"Dad? I think he's still in the basement. I'll go get him!"

"Oh, no, that's fine. I was just wondering where he was, though honestly, I shouldn't be surprised. Wonder what he's working on now?"

"Probably some other midlife crisis," Hannah said as she rolled her eyes.

"Oh god, what has he moved onto this time? Wasn't he brewing his own wine the last time I was here?"

"Oh no, he had to stop that after mom complained about the smell; fermented fruits are disgusting! I think he's working on another bookshelf for the game room. You know him and his home improvements."

"Yep. 'Why pay fifty bucks for a guy to come and build a bookshelf? I can build it myself in half the time,'" Ari mimicked her uncle's voice with a bravado swagger, exaggerating his frugality and stubborn pride.

"Ha! You sound just like him! You do really good impressions, Ari," Hannah laughed, her contagious grin spreading now on Inari's face, making the latter feel happy for the first time that day. Hannah always had a way of bringing her out of a foul mood.

"Well, I have a lot of practice in front of the mirror. Speaking of which, I still have to unpack, so do you mind if I finish that up first? Then we can make fun of Uncle Kenji some more."

"Sure thing!" Hannah ran to the doorway before turning to look back at her cousin. "By the way, I think it's really cool that you're staying here, Ari. We're going to have so much fun, it will be like the sleepovers we used to do as kids."

"You still got the inflatable mattress?"

"Of _course."_

"Then it's a date," Ari smiled, humoring her cousin as she sped off towards parts unknown. Her fabricated grin fell as she returned back to her boxes. Her mood had been lifted some, but she was still melancholy from the move. She tried not to think too much about it as her heart tightened like a boa constrictor when her thoughts returned to the memories of her home, still freshly etched in her mind. Some part of her was still in denial, making her believe that she was just here for another holiday visit, and that helped with some of the hurt, but the other part of her knew this wasn't true, and that she'd have to get over it eventually. She had had an entire month to sulk about it before the house got sold.

_Guess that means that I'll have to put my own personal touch in here before I'll really accept it as home..._ She unwrapped the last of the bubble wrap on her glass and jewel flower collection and started placing and arranging it on her windowsill. She loved flowers and pretty much nature overall. She used to have a flower and vegetable garden back home, but now that she was in Amity Park, her backyard was nothing more than concrete and dust; city blocks didn't make for good compost and flower fields. Maybe she could get a flower box over her windowsill and grow zinnias and marigolds? Until then, her glass garden was all that she had.

"Hey, don't forget, you've got school tomorrow," advised her mom, who had decided to appear in her doorway like a lingering specter. "So make sure you've got your outfit all laid out and try not to stay up too late tonight, honey." Ari's eyes widened slightly before she nodded shortly at her mother, keeping her lips pressed together. They both stood there at a standstill, not sure what the other was going to do until her mother resigned with a sigh and left. A look of panic crossed Ari's face the instant she was gone.

She had forgotten. She had been brooding so much on the fact that it was moving day, that she had forgotten that she would be starting at a new school the very next day. Anxiety butterflies began fluttering around in her stomach just thinking about it, her habit of nervous pacing and twirling of her hair acting up as she walked from one corner of her room to the other. She was too worked up now to think of anything else.

It was moving too fast. Everything was moving too fast! For once in her life, she wished that time was just slow down so that she could try and process all of this. She felt like curling into a ball. Grabbing her rabbit Junpei, she did so at the foot of her new bed and closed her eyes, trying to shut everything out and forget about it all.

_I'll just take a quick cat nap for five minutes..._ she thought before she eventually dozed off peacefully, not waking up for the rest of the night.

* * *

Like most first days at school, it was pretty hectic. Students were bustling down the halls while Ari had to immediately to go to the front office and receive her schedule and locker number. She couldn't believe how many people there were. Her own high school and middle school combined had maybe about six-hundred kids, seven hundred kids tops. This school had over two _thousand_ , and this was just the high school. The school was enormous and all the hallways looked the same, she had almost gotten lost multiple times, and the front office was right there when you entered the building. It was even worse this time around, since Ari was beginning her first day long after the school term had already started, near the end of September. This meant that on top of trying to catch up on the mounds of homework she'd already missed, she was going to have to learn stuff daily. This meant also that she would have to be tutored. So while other seniors were worrying about what college to apply to or who to take to the senior prom, she was stuck trying to get her work done.

Prior to all of the accumulating stress, Ari also had the privilege of being the hottest piece of news when she entered the bus with her little cousin Hannah, receiving the daunting stares from curious bystanders. Far out in the country as she lived, her mom or dad usually had to drive her to school, so it was the first time she had ever had to take the school bus that wasn't for some sort of game or school field trip. Never was she so grateful to get a license in her life, even better when she received her motorcycle license for her bike. It was like having freedom on wheels. A freedom she was now craving heavily after having to endure the horrible, crowded bus ride filled with curious stares, spitball wars, and large amounts of yelling and screaming that kids should not be capable of doing at six am in the morning. Ari vowed that, as soon as she had settled in, she was going to look into student parking. She didn't care if she had to beg her mom or aunt for a loan or an used car, she absolutely refused to have to endure another horrible bus ride.

"Looks like everything's in order," said the secretary before she handed Ari two slips of paper, one with her schedule, and the other with her locker number and combination. "One of our office workers will show you around and get you to your first class. We'll worry about assigning you a tutor a bit later, once you've settled in." She picked up the phone and talked about paperwork with the person on the other end before an African American boy with a red cap, glasses, and a yellow t-shirt walked in from the back.

"Ah, there you are, Foley. I'd like you to meet our newest transfer student, Inari Faux. You are to show her around and get her to her first class. I leave her in your capable hands."

"And who said office life would be boring?" he grinned before he fully put on the charm. "Why hello, beautiful~ My name is Tucker Foley, aka, the man of your dreams." His advances took Ari off guard and made her want to retreat even further behind her hair. "Hmm, the silent type eh? I like it."

He led them out of the office and through the many rows of lockers, explaining about where the cafeteria was and even handed her a personally made map to help her with her classes. Unfortunately, it also had his phone number on it. Couldn't say that he didn't give his best effort.

"So anyways, it says that your locker is... right around here. Locker 724...," he looked up before he realized which locker she had. "Locker 724!?"

"Ah, the cursed locker. Tough break, chickie," said a girl with chopped brown hair with a pink streak running through it. She was getting out a biology book out of the locker next to hers. "Looks like we'll be locker neighbors. The name's Katia. Katia Kramer. And you are...?"

"Busy. She has me as her personal escort for the day," Tucker interrupted proudly.

"My sympathies," Katia said in mock sorrow before waving at Ari. "See you around then, neighbor."

Ari looked at the combination and entered it in the tumbler before it clicked open. There were some rust spots and bits of cobweb inside, and the remnant of an old, broken mirror frame inside. Wasn't someone in charge of cleaning out lockers during the summer before they were ready for students?

Tucker breathed a sigh of relief, remembering that the mirror had been broken beyond repair and wouldn't cause anyone any problems.

"With a lot of dusting and a bit of elbow grease, I'm sure it will it really shine," Tucker said before slamming her locker door shut. "Since we've found your locker, let's get you to your first class, and it looks like your first period is free period like mine. What a coincidence."

"N-Not... in-interested, please..." Ari mumbled, not really wanting this kind of attention, or really, any attention at all. She didn't want to have to be mean and reject him right out, but it was better now than later down the line.

"Ah, the lady speaks. And what a pretty voice she does have," he grinned, oblivious that she had turned down his offer.

"Tucker, you're not hitting on another student council member, are you?" She turned as saw the voice belonged to a boy with short black hair and blue eyes. Compared to her office escort, he seemed pretty average looking.

"No way. Since Dash has taken over as president, I'm staying as far away as I can from those jerks." He could remember all the times he had gotten bullied and stuffed into a locker, simply because he hit on the girl who was the school treasurer. Good thing his best friend was always there to get him out.

"So who's this?" his friend asked. "Are you the new exchange student?" She shook her head, keeping her eyes down at the floor. "Do you even speak English?"

She nodded her head, albeit, pouting at his assumption that, just because she looked Japanese automatically meant she was from Japan. "Then why don't you talk?"

"She's probably doesn't want to, Danny. Lay off," his Goth girl friend said after nudging her friend in the ribcage and introducing herself. "I'm Sam Manson, and my insensitive friend over here is Danny Fenton."

"...Inari Faux...but you c-can c-call me Ari," she stuttered as she shyly shook Sam's hand.

"This is her schedule," Tucker said as he handed the paper over to his friends without even asking Ari.

"You got third period gym too?" Sam exclaimed. "Man, I thought seniors didn't have to take gym."

"Wait! She's a senior?" Tucker exclaimed before looking back at Ari and asked, "You're a senior?" before she replied with a nod.

"You didn't know? It says so on her schedule, Tucker, didn't you think to check when you picked it up?" Danny remarked.

"I was a little distracted by Inari's charming presence."

"Oh, I'm sure you were," Sam rolled her eyes. "You react that way with every other girl in this school."

"Hey! At least I try to look for love."

"And it looks out for you, Tuck. Looking out for how to get far away from you as possible," she smirked before returning to their conversation. "Anyways, your next class should be in 12B, but we've got a little bit of a free time before then. Want to explore?"

"...S-Sure," Ari shrugged before she was quickly led to the courtyard outside.

"So uh, is this your first time here at Amity Park?" Danny asked as Ari continued to stare at her Birkenstocks.

"Sort of. I... just moved in... with my aunt," she murmured, really grateful her bangs hid her eyes so she didn't have to look them in the eye. Not wanting to dwell on her situation, she quickly changed the subject. "Wh-What exactly is th-there to d-do here?"

"Well, we have a slammin' arcade downtown, a movie theater, a park, and the Nasty Burger is a pretty awesome hangout. The mall's okay, but mostly, what we deal with here is-" Sam began before her friend Danny froze in place, his breathe becoming visible. Funny, Ari didn't think the AC was on that high. Suddenly, a woman with long black hair and exotic blue clothing appeared out of a veil of smoke. Her skin was an eerie green and her eyes were flaming red. Students who took sight of her fled in terror as she sent out a warped troll boy, who had wished for super strength.

"GHOSTS!" a jock yelled before fleeing.

_"Bridge to Terabithia,_ run for your lives!" exclaimed a bald teacher, the female ghost laughing evilly as she swooped down on the crowd. Ari and company quickly dropped onto their stomachs, barely escaping the specter's grasp.

"Y-You h-have g-ghosts?!" Ari exclaimed as she ducked under her arms.

"Welcome to Amity Park..." Sam smiled weakly as Ari tried to stop hyperventilating.


	3. Two Steps Forward, Five Steps Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Progress made can quickly be undone.

After the pandemonium caused by the ghost troll, some white-haired ghost boy clad head-to-toe in black sped through the air and ended the fight pretty quickly, turning the troll back into the geek he was prior to the possession. Sam had explained that the boy, who was apparently named Danny Phantom and not Inviso-Bill, was a hero that occasionally dropped by to fight ghosts and protect the people. She would have gone into more detail, but after that experience, Ari just wanted to go to class and avoid anymore weirdness. Ghosts? Superheroes? What kind of school experience did she sign up for?

For the rest of the day, she had tried to focus on her classes, but the fear of some ghost showing up put her on edge. Her newest pencil was already gnawed through and when she was done with that, she started chewing and sucking on a piece of her hair. She would have chewed the gum she had in her satchel, but you weren't allowed to chew gum in school. Even though everyone else broke that rule, she didn't want to get into trouble on her first day.

She had to use one of the spare gym uniforms for third period, which was a nice rousing game of dodgeball. Gratefully, she was rather good at that. She couldn't throw, but she was excellent at dodging. It was nice to channel some of her energy into the game. She was all about strategy and thought about giving some of her teammates some pointers. Unfortunately, she was too chicken to give any of her teammates advice and help them win the game.

She was the only person who couldn't be hit, but when you're the only one left, the only option is to throw out the rest of the opposing team. Her throwing ability was so bad, the other side caught it easily and ended the game. After the match, anyone who was impressed with the new kid's dodging skills forgot and focused on how she couldn't throw a ball to save her life. She ended up hiding in the girls bathroom's stalls in shame until everyone had left. Somehow that didn't stop someone from finding her.

"You almost done in there? Fourth period's about to start," said a girl who knocked on the stall door. Ashamed she had been caught, she pulled up her hoodie and crawled off of the toilet seat lid. When she left the stall, she was startled to see that the girl was Katia.

"Hey, chickie. I wondered when I'd see you again." She smiled before she noticed Ari's despondency. "Are you okay?" Ari nodded shortly before she quickly brushed by her and ran to her next class. The hood of her jacket helped hide the shame and embarrassment she felt. She just wanted to avoid anymore awkward situations and get through the day with the least amount of drama. But surprisingly enough, she had Katia in her fifth, sixth, and eighth period English lit, U.S. History, and Pre-Cal classes. So much for avoiding her. By the time she was done with her eighth period, she noticed her neighbor was already at her locker. No turning back now.

"Well hello there, chickie. Looks like we've been bumping into each other quite a bit," Katia grinned, showing off her lip piercing rather nicely as she pushed her stuff into her locker. She didn't look like she was going to press matters any further as to why Ari had hidden in the bathroom, and that made her feel a little more comfortable to talk to her.

"...Why do you call me chickie?" Ari asked, finally working the nerve to talk.

"Ah, _finally!_ She speaks!" Katia exclaimed, holding up her hands like she was praising the universe for a miracle. "I call you chickie because you haven't told me your name. Also, I like calling you chickie. Got a problem with that?" She was taken aback by the girl's casual, laid back attitude. Katia cocked her eyebrow, which also had a rhinestone stud in it, waiting for an answer. Ari shook her head. For whatever reason, she didn't mind that someone had given her a nickname.

"M-My name's Inari Faux, b-but I go by Ari..."

"Inari, huh? Cool. Foreign name. I like it. Why would you want to change your name?" Ari looked down at her feet, not really sure how to explain her situation. "Well, if you're not comfortable with either, I think I'll just call you chickie instead. How about that?"

"...O-Okay, I guess," Ari mumbled.

"Jeez, chickie, you need to spit out whatever you want to say, otherwise people like Foley will walk all over you." She was right. Ari had had this tick ever since middle school. She had a real difficulty trying to talk to anyone she didn't know, so for the most part, she was quiet in class, which always docked her participation grade. The only reason she had any friends was because she had known most of them since elementary school, so she didn't have to get to know anyone new until now. She felt bad about having this habit, so she decided to step up and make conversation.

"S-So... the whole ghost thing... Does that happen often?" she asked.

"Ah, so you've met the local residents. You're really not from around here, are you?" She shook her head. "That's kind of refreshing, actually. Yeah, the whole ghost thing happens pretty regularly. I'm surprised you haven't seen it on the news, since ghosts are pretty mainstream these days. But if it makes you feel any better, they're not like the Hollywood movie versions of ghosts; it's not like we have large scale fatalities or anything. For the most part, some of the stuff that happens is pretty tame compared to that. Truth is stranger than fiction, I guess."

"So... a-about the whole thing about my l-locker being cursed," Ari said anxiously, asking the question that had been plaguing her mind all day.

"Oh, that? Yeah. It's said that when the school was founded, some kid named Sidney Poindexter was bullied a lot. Apparently, the last name wasn't enough to blackmail him on the bully list of for life. He was shoved into his locker so many times, they say he still haunts it from within, but I wouldn't worry about it. As much as this area is infested with ghosts, I haven't once seen the guy, so I think it's just a rumor."

"Oh... o-okay." That made Ari feel a little more relieved. She was still absorbing the fact that ghosts were real, but at least she wouldn't have to worry about her locker actually being haunted. The broken mirror inside was still a bit ominous, if anything else. If she looked hard enough at one of the shards, she could have sworn she saw someone looking back at her. The slam of Katia's metal locker door jarred her from thoughts before she hesitantly shut her locker door as well.

"So... see you tomorrow?" Katia asked, like Ari was the kind of person who ditched school and would only show up once in a blue moon.

"...Yeah. See you tomorrow," Ari smiled shyly.

"Hey, you didn't stutter," Katia realized before displaying a proud smirk. "I'm growing on ya, aren't I?"

"Uh... Bye!" Ari babbled, moving with haste towards the school buses. The first day and she already possibly made a new friend. The thought made her smile a bit. Curious how her old friends were, Ari pulled out and checked her cellphone. No new messages. She texted a large group message towards her small circle of friends: _Miss u guys. 2day wuz totally cr8zy,_ before sending it out into back in her seat, Ari also checked to see if she had any missed calls. Her voicemail box was also empty.

It made her realized that along with her friends, it had been a while since her dad had called her. She hadn't heard from him in almost two weeks, but then again, that's nothing compared to the two months it had been since he'd been away. Because he was one of the engineer supervisors for the board members of Chevrolet, he was often away on business. These work trips sometimes had him gone for weeks, maybe months on end before he'd finally return home, tired and exhausted from jetlag and work overload. It certainly didn't help that he was a workaholic. He loved what he did, which is what anyone could honestly hope for in a job, but it did make Ari miss him an awful lot when he was away.

Trying to not to dwell on this fact, she thought it would be better to spend her time and energy on the bus getting a jumpstart on doing her homework. Pooling over her Pre-Cal book, she began scribbling down equations and formulas as other people on the bus decided to leave the quiet girl alone with her studies. When she arrived at her stop, her mother's car was still in the driveway, which meant that she hadn't gone to work yet. The transition of the new house was still fairly new for Ari and, honestly, she didn't feel up to staying cooped up in her new room doing homework with her mom popping in to ask her how her first day went. So instead of going home, she detached her BMX mountain bike from the back of her mom's car and pedaled off towards parts unknown, leaving a note stuck in the doorway telling her that she was going out and that she had her cellphone with her.

As bitter as Ari was towards her mother at the moment, she was mildly curious about her surroundings. The streets had long stretches of asphalt roads and buildings, with many different kinds of people walking down the sidewalks. The stores weren't the locally-owned businesses that knew everyone by name, the roads weren't made out of tar, dirt, and gravel, and there were more people in one block than there were in miles of her old neighborhood. It was exciting and terrifying at the same time to think about. It was also her way of taking her mind off of things.

Ari circled the block about five or six times before she made her way back. Apparently, she could have just as easily pedaled her bike to school than take the bus. It was that close. Maybe if she got a proper bike chain, she could park it at the school's bike rake and might not need to beg for a car. She didn't exactly like owing people money or favors.

The further she went into the neighborhood, the more she missed home. There were no farm cats to feed their leftovers to or fields of clovers to make flower bracelets with or bird nests to discover on the side of the road. They didn't even have to burn their trash anymore.

She started to grow more and more depressed before she decided to head back. Noting the street signs she had mentally jotted down before, she easily navigated herself back towards her aunt's house. She was about to quietly retreat to her room before she overheard her mother talking in the kitchen. By the note of her tone, she sounded like she was talking on the phone and that she was mildly irritated at the receiver to boot.

* * *

Moments ago, late afternoon was starting to circle into early evening as Ari's mom Kimiko began nervously tapping the tabletop counter in the kitchen, her hand fidgeting with her coffee mug.

"I don't know, Aya. I'm worried that she'll get lost. She doesn't know this city very well."

"She said she has her cellphone, so don't worry so much, Kimmy. She'll be fine," Ayame reassured her younger sister as the latter turned the mug in her hand.

"Well... if you're sure," Kimiko said, unsure of her actual feelings towards her daughter at the moment. Inari had been so distant ever since she had heard about the move. She was normally cheerful and kind to others, but since then, she'd been more despondent and moody. Sometimes it frustrated her mother to no end. Ever since she had turned sixteen, Inari had been gradually becoming more independent and yet, at the same time, introverted. She liked to spend time with her friends, but she would hardly say a word about it at home. It used to be that Kimiko and Inari would tell each other everything, but nowadays she just couldn't figure out what her daughter was thinking anymore.

"Maybe it's a good thing that Inari wants to go out and explore," Ayame shrugged. "Didn't you say she loved exploring as a child?"

"Yes. Inari was always so curious, even when she was little. I remember she'd often get into trouble after all the times she'd end up in some sort storm drain pipe or exploring an animal den in the fields." She looked back at the phone on the counter, feeling her hand creep towards the landline.

"...Maybe I should call her and check to see if she's okay," she began before her older sister stayed her hand.

"No, Kimmy. Your daughter needs some space right now. She's trying to process this in her own way. It's hard for a teenager to move to a new town, especially at her age. Let her come to you when she's ready. Until then, you'll just have to be supportive."

"Thanks, Aya... Since when have you been so smart?" Kimiko smirked playfully.

" _Since when?_ As I recall, you were the exact same way as a kid when I was stuck raising you, while mom and dad were working out on the farm." They both laughed at as they relived some of the memories both of them had as children before she heard the phone ring.

"Hello?" she answered before remembering she didn't state who had picked up the phone. "Faux and Kishimoto residence, Kimiko speaking."

 _"Well, don't you sound formal, Kimmy,"_ said a male voice. She stopped a bit, shocked she was hearing her husband's voice. It was unusual for him to call first, so this must have been something important. Ayame read this situation as her cue to leave the room, leaving her younger sister to deal with her marriage.

 _"_ Felix," Kimiko inquired crossly. "Would it kill you to pick up a phone every once in a while?"

 _"Hey, I called you, didn't I?"_ replied her husband. _"Anyways, the office has been swamped with paperwork lately, and Judy hasn't given me all of my messages because she's out sick right now."_

 _"Judy,"_ Kimiko ground her name out. "I swear, I've talked more with her and your answering machine, combined, than I have with you in the past four months."

 _"...I hope you guys got settled in okay,"_ he said smally. _"The movers handled all your stuff with care?"_

"They were exceptional, Felix, as usual," her mother sighed, running her hand absent-mindedly through her hair.

_"What's with the sigh, Kimmy? It's like you're not happy that I sent you guys the best movers money could buy."_

"How am I _supposed_ to feel, Felix?" she voiced in frustration, tired exhaustion heavy in her voice. "I'm supposed to feel _grateful_ that you left and didn't even say goodbye to your daughter, on moving day, but that we had exceptional movers? I'm trying to be positive and make this move a good thing for her, but so far, this hasn't been a good experience for either of us. I had to pull her out of her senior year of high school, Felix. Do you know what's that like for young girl to deal with?"

 _"I thought she wanted to go University of Minneapolis-"_ he defended before he was quickly cut off.

"That's not the point, Felix! You _weren't_ there! You never are! That's why..." She took a breathe, trying to bite back saying something she'd regret, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I just can't do this anymore, Felix... I have to tell her."

"...Tell me what?" Kimiko turned around to find that Ari had been standing in the kitchen.

"Felix, I might have to call you back...," Kimiko muttered into the receiver.

"No, I want to talk to dad too," Ari said, deciding to be assertive for once. Taken aback at her daughter's sudden attentiveness, she slowly lifted the phone away from the receiver.

"Alright...," Kimiko said quietly, pressing the speaker button on the receiver. "I have your father on speaker phone."

 _"Hey kiddo, how've ya been?"_ Felix spoke loudly into his phone. He sounded like he was happy to hear from her, but also artificial, like it was something you just had to ask when greeting someone.

"Alright," Ari lied, wanting for her mother to press onto the real news. "What did you want to tell me?" she asked again, this time her mother being the one who was hesitant and quiet.

"Inari... you might want to sit down for this," her mom suggested, but since her daughter made no move to sit down, she decided to continue. "See Inari... your father and I... we're getting a divorce."

The words made Ari freeze and turn to stone. Suddenly, the entire weight of the world felt like it had landed on her shoulders as she felt the pit of her stomach drop.

"...What?" Ari managed to breathe out. She felt like all the air had been knocked out of her lungs, her esophagus starting to constrict around the lump beginning to form in her throat before her mother quickly added, "I want you to know that the divorce has nothing to do with you, and that your father and I love you very much."

 _"Yeah, kiddo. We're sorry you had to find out this way,"_ her dad added solemnly.

"It hasn't been working out with either of us for a long time," Kimiko said in worn remorse. "And the only reason we stayed together for as long as we did was for you, honey."

Ari's eyes widened. So it was _her_ fault? It was her fault that her parents had decided to be miserable to each other?!

"No... Of course it doesn't have to do with me," Ari spat angrily towards her mother. "It has to do with YOU! It ALWAYS has to do with you! You're the reason we're even here in the first place!"

"Now Inari, I-" her mom began before her daughter swiftly cut her off.

"You couldn't have at least _tried_ to get along with dad when he came home or deal better with him being gone. I know I had to! But you couldn't suck it up at least once, could you?!"

 _"Inari, don't talk to your mother that way!"_ Felix interjected.

"No! NO! It's your fault! It's all your fault dad left!" she yelled at her mom, leaving the latter shocked to the point of tears, threatening to break from her eyes. Anger and adrenaline flooded through Ari's system like jet engine fuel in a fighter plane. She couldn't be here. She had to get out. She had to get out of this hellhole, this... toxic atmosphere.

"Where are you going?" her mother demanded as her daughter abruptly left the kitchen.

"Anywhere but here!" Ari fired back as she stormed out the front door.

"Inari Faux, get back here! We aren't done talking about this!" her mother ordered, dropping the phone on the table before she chased after her daughter.

"NO! I'm done with doing what you want to do! Right now, I wish I was anywhere but here, especially with _you_!" she spat out angrily as she began running down the street. Her mother called out her name, trying to get her anger-ridden daughter back. Unknown to either, a female ghost in the shadows laid in wait.

"And so you have wished it, so it shall be..." Desiree crooned as a mysterious green fog began to wrap and surround Inari before completely engulfing her.


	4. Stranded in the Ghost Zone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In a strange new world, familiarity is always a warm comfort.

She felt cold. That was Ari's first initial thought when she woke up in the Ghost Zone. She didn't remember passing out after storming out of her aunt's house, but she felt like she had been swallowed by something. Then she woke up here. Greyish, purple dirt coated the right side of her face as she stood up.

"What's going on? Wh-Where am I?" Ari thought aloud, confused beyond all measure on where the hell she was. Green skies swirled over the ash-colored earth, the segments of land being fairly minimal, somehow floating in midair. Curious about where she was, she walked about seven paces before yipping slightly at the sudden drop off her little island had, making her back away very quickly.

This land, this place, was not normal. It wasn't... what was the word? Normal? Human? Whatever it was, it certainly felt... eerie. Like something out of supernatural or horror novel. She didn't like it. The more primal, instinctive part of her felt like she wasn't supposed to be here. Maybe she was dreaming? She looked back down at the edge of her island. She could jump off the piece of earth because dying in a dream usually woke her up. But on the odd chance that this wasn't a dream, she didn't want to end her life, especially over a hunch. That was, also, if the swirly green abyss below had a bottom. Putting those thoughts out of her mind, she relayed back to the situation at hand.

How long had she been out? The growl in her stomach told her that she definitely had missed a meal or two, but she wasn't parched. That was something at least, but she would have to find water soon. If she was going to get out of here, she would have to make sure she survived here first before anything else. Remembering she had unconsciously brought her satchel with her when she left the house, she quickly turned it over for supplies. Most of what she had inside were textbooks and school supplies, but what she did find was her cellphone, some gum, and a granola bar. She tried her cellphone first. No service available. At least with the granola bar and gum, she wouldn't go hungry. Opening up the granola bar, she nibbled on part of it before stashing it back into her bag, saving it for later. The gum would stay her hunger, but it would also make her crave water, so she held off chewing a stick. She needed to find food and water and then, find a way out of here.

None of the landmasses of floating rock seemed close enough to jump to, her pitiful island not even having enough land to get a running start. She did notice, however, that there was a dead tree on a nearby island. If she could somehow create some rope, she would be able to swing over to the other island. But what would she make the rope out of? Looking through her supplies, she tried to look for something useful. She had some rubber bands, but they wouldn't be nearly durable enough to sustain her weight. She glared at her large pile of textbooks. Why was it that textbooks were only useful when it came to paperweights? She looked at her calculus book and picked at her teal book cover. Those things were really flexible... Wait! That was it!

All of the school's textbooks required book covers. If she undid all the book covers and tied them together, she could create a makeshift rope. The elastic was supposed to fit most seven by twelve inch textbooks, so it should be pretty flexible. Now she had rope, but how would she wrap the rope around the tree from far away? She would need something heavy enough that, with enough centripetal force, it would wrap around itself like a bolo. Sifting through her supplies, she uncovered a large, navy-blue, metal stapler. That would do the trick. Thank god she was thorough with her school supplies this year! She now had everything she needed to make the jump.

Swinging her makeshift rope around like a lasso by her side, she launched and flung it at the side of the tree, where it wrapped around the base of its trunk. Yes! She cheered at her success, taking a starting leap off the island before she noticed her items passing through the tree like it wasn't there.

"No!" she shrieked too late, already sailing towards the other island. _I should have checked to see if the rope was secure!_ she thought, expecting to meet her maker very soon. However, instead of falling to her death, she was gliding towards the tree. She braced for impact, only to pass right through it.

_What?!_ she gaped. How was that possible? It phased through it like it was a hologram. Maybe the tree was composed of energy?

"W-Whoa!" She exclaimed, trying to right herself through the ghostly air. For some reason, this realm had different laws of physics, which mean that it would be at least easier to navigate through the area. But how would she control where she was going and, as she quickly found out as a purple door floated in front of her, how would she stop? Expecting to phase through it, she was surprised when she hit her head against the purple door.

"Oww, that hurt!" she whined, rubbing her injured forehead. Okay, clearly not all things in this area were intangible to her. Why was this door even here? Seeing that, as logic dictates, one would not have something like this just floating in the sky for no reason. Maybe it lead to somewhere else. Somewhere like home? But which one to pick.

There were a million doors floating around, each with its own lock, style, and mystery on what lay beyond. _Better try this one first,_ she thought to herself, turning the lock, only to find an angry, grey Cyclops roaring at her. Frightened by the behemoth, she forcefully shut the door and fled to another door nearby. Inside it was a table of four green ghosts playing poker. Startled by the interruption, they all looked at her in mild irritation, for her presence stopped their game, before she closed that door too. She tried one last door, but she was too horrified to even begin to describe what was inside it.

"Okay, avoiding doors in this place...forever!" she observed in fear as she kicked off from the door and sped through the zone. Why were there monsters behind every door she looked at? Maybe they weren't so much as doors as they were homes for whatever lived inside. This would explain so much about children claiming monsters were in their closets. Something told Ari that after this experience, she was going to have a high aversion to closets in the near future.

The longer she sped through the area, the more control she had of moving through it. Apparently, if she leaned forward enough and bent her back at the right angle, she could project the direction she wanted to go and how fast to do it. While she felt silly acting like she was Superman, this was a much less goofier method than her attempts at trying to move through the area with the breaststroke. After a while, it actually became a bit enjoyable. She'd never had the ability to fly before, so this was an exhilarating experience to her to say the least, but she still had no luck finding food, water, or a way out. You win some, you lose some. Hopefully, she would stumble across a solution. She seemed to be good at that.

Aside from her Twilight Zone encounters with the creatures behind the doors, she had not encountered any form of life since she had been there. While the area was unpleasant, it didn't seem inhospitable to life. She could still breathe fine, and, aside from the cold chill, it was livable. So where was the wildlife? The dead tree she phased through seemed to be the only thing that even resembled anything remotely close to life in this entire realm. She was starting to grow weary from travel, curious as to how long she had been flying. Minutes? Hours? Days? She had no watch to tell her otherwise and with the anxiety of stress, hunger, and fatigue, she was close to giving up on finding anything familiar. Until she jerked back and abruptly stopped midflight. A large white building floated about five hundred yards away from where she was.

Was... was that her school floating over there? It sure looked like her school, but it was all in black and white. Not really having any other options, she glided over towards the doors and forced them open. Maybe it was the way she would get back. Everyone was in black and white, and they seemed to be wearing fifties clothing, like poodle skirts and leather jackets.

"Who's the dolly?" asked a greaser, noticing Ari's presence.

"She sure is a classy chassis," observed his jock friend.

"A what?" Ari wondered aloud as the letterman quickly wandered over towards her.

"Hey kitty cat, how about you and I grab a bite and maybe we can do a little backseat bingo later where we stable the horses."

"N-No thank you," she mumbled, not having a clue what this guy was saying, but she didn't want to be involved. Draping his arm around her shoulder, he pulled her uncomfortably close. The contact made her feel cornered and especially uneasy.

"Now don't have a cow, baby. You'd be running with the coolest cats in town. My crew and I got a sweet hotrod that could make your brain spin. It'll be a blast."

"I said no!" she growled, angrily pushing the teen away before retracting her hand back in stunned silence. Normally, she wouldn't ever lash out at someone. What was wrong with her? Why was she so emotional? Had the stress of everything finally caught up to her?

"Back off, buster-brown. Can't you see she's not comfortable with your slick talk?" She turned to see a short kid with combed black hair, glasses, and buckteeth. He looked like the embodiment of all things nerd, but that didn't seem to dampen his spirits.

"Mind your own business, Poindexter," the jock frowned, mildly annoyed that the geek had decided to interrupt his talk with Ari.

"When you bully others, Rodney, you make it my business, bub," Poindexter huffed. "Now scram before I get the teachers to make you agitate the gravel." The letterman hesitated, seriously contemplating whether or not he wanted to pummel the nerdling or get detention before he backed off.

"This isn't over, Poindexter," Rodney growled skulking away bitterly. Proud that he had successfully stood up to the bully, Poindexter looked towards Ari in concern.

"Are you okay?" he asked the quiet teen. Now getting a good look at her, he thought he had seen her from somewhere before, but he couldn't put his finger on it. She was in color, so she clearly wasn't from around here. It was the way that she looked at her shoes that made him recognize her.

"Wait a minute... it's you! You're the one who got my old locker," the boy recalled. It took her a couple of seconds to process exactly what he said before realization struck her.

"S-Sidney?" she gasped. No, that wasn't possible. He was supposed to be dead. Did that mean... was she dead too? She didn't want to be dead! There was too much left she wanted to do in life. This was just too much! Everything was just too much!

"What are you doing here? You're human! You shouldn't be here," he began before noticing Ari was now hunched over with large streams of tears flowing down her cheeks. "Oh gosh, don't cry Miss! Uh... umm...!" He didn't really know what to do. Most girls never even talked to him, let alone cried in front of him. "Here!" Pulling out a handkerchief from his pocket, he handed it to her.

"Th-Thank you..." she hiccupped, dabbing her eyes a bit with the handkerchief. It had the initials S.P. embroidered in the corner.

"Your name... it's Inari, right?" he asked unsurely.

"...M-My friends call me Ari," she stammered, managing to wipe away most of her tears by then.

"Well Ari, what seems to be the trouble? How can we turn that frown of yours upside down?" he asked, sympathetically patting her shoulder. "Do you need an egg cream? I know that's what I like to have when I'm feeling upset."

"...A what?" She looked up at him, tilting her head slightly. "An egg cream...? ...You m-mean like food! Actual food?!" She got really excited at this prospect.

"Sure," he smiled, glad seeing that Ari was feeling better. "I'll get you an egg cream from the cafeteria. My treat." He led her to the cafeteria and pulled out a nickel to put into the vending machine. Apparently, an egg cream was basically a cream soda as he pulled out a bottle opener and handed her the cola. Not really caring that she looked undignified, she gulped down the cream soda fairly quickly.

"Gee willickers, you must have been hungry," he observed, noticing her large appetite.

"Mmhmm," she nodded before finishing off the soda. "I can't remember the last time I've eaten. Feels like days." She didn't know why, but she felt like she could really open up to Sidney. A couple sips into her next soda, and she soon found herself blurting out everything. The move, the new school, the divorce. She had no idea why she was spilling her guts out to this complete stranger. She wasn't normally this open with anyone but her closest friends. But he seemed to mean well, and she found no other comforts in the realm she was in.

"Wow, you weren't kidding when you said you'd had a crummy day," he deadpanned.

"So... am I dead?" she finally asked, dreading the answer. Sidney nearly choked on his soda in response.

"No! Gosh golly, no! I hope not!" He blurted. "You're human and still alive, which makes me wonder why in good gravy you're in the Ghost Zone."

"The Ghost Zone?" Her eyebrows really arched at that statement.

"You see, the place you ended up in is called the Ghost Zone. It's the flipside of the human world, where you live. Only ghosts reside in this realm."

"Huh." Seemed like she had only just been introduced to ghosts being real, and she hasn't seen anything but ghost since she'd gotten there. "So if this is the Ghost Zone, why can I phase through things but you can't. You're a ghost, right?" she asked, feeling her arm slip through the table before she made it solid again.

"In the Ghost Zone, everything is made out of ectoplasm. Humans and real world objects have properties that we ghosts would normally have in your world, like phasing through walls. It's because ectoplasm is on a different frequency than human world objects."

"So... I have ghost powers now?"

"In a way," he shrugged. "Only intangibility though, and only here in the Ghost Zone. Any other human body would also react this way towards this dimension."

"But how did I get here?" Ari placed her arm on the table and leaned on her chin, itching for answers to her problem.

"An excellent question. Do you remember what you were doing before you got here?"

"I remember fighting with my mom and wishing that I was anywhere but here," she sadly looked down at her feet before shaking off her emotions. "But you can't get anywhere in life by wishing for it."

"Actually, you can. I think you had an encounter with Desiree."

"Who's Desiree?"

"She's the wishing ghost. Any wish she hears, she grants, but at dire consequences for the wisher."

"...So you're saying that she sent me to the Ghost Zone because I _wished_ for it?" Ari inquired, her eyes widening at the odd possibility.

"Pretty much, though I think she had more creative freedom with your wish, since you weren't very specific on where you wanted to be." Sitting back in her chair, she tried to take in the situation. She couldn't believe that she ended up here, on a whim of some ghost who got her kicks from twisting wishes around for her own gain. She had heard of the phrase 'be careful what you wish for,' but this was taking it a bit too literally!

"So how do I get _out_ of the Ghost Zone?"

"I'm not sure. I, myself, can never leave the realm because I am bound to it. I do know that sometimes natural portals do open up from time to time that can lead you to the real world."

"So how do I find one of those?"

"I don't know. You'd probably need the Infi-Map. I heard it can locate any place just by thinking about it, even natural portals. But it's been lost for centuries, and sometimes the portals it takes you to don't even belong to the correct time period."

"So you're saying I'm stuck here until a portal just magically shows up, and it might not even take me to my own time?"

"Well, there is another way. There's a ghost you could contact. His name is Clockwork. He's the ghost that precedes over all time. He knows everything, and he's really skilled with portals. He might be able to help you. However, his realm in the Ghost Zone exists outside of time. He's sort of in a dimension between dimensions. I'm not really sure where he lives specifically."

"So there goes that option." Ari really began wishing for that Infi-Map right about now.

"There's also the option that you could find Desiree and wish yourself back home," Sidney suggested.

"Where is she?"

"Well, judging that she was able to grant your wish, she has to be in the mortal world."

"So basically, you have no idea where she is," Ari said, turning a bit downcast.

"But I know where she's going to be," he grinned cleverly. "Anytime that Phantom kid captures one of us, we get sent to the Storage Room. It's where all the ghosts are sent once they are released and where real world items end up when they fall through a ghost portal. Judging by how quickly he acts when we crossover to his world, she should arrive there soon."

"That seems plausible. Is there any way you can take me there?"

"No. Unfortunately, I cannot leave my world unless in dire circumstances. However, I do know a guy who can transport you there safely. He's one of the few spirits that visits the mortal world for mostly non-malevolent reasons. He could probably try to take you home too, if you don't find her. He navigates pretty well through the Ghost Zone," He pulled out a quarter from his pocket. "I just need to make a call."

"Thank you... Umm, d-do you have a bathroom I could use?" Ari asked shyly.

"The girls' lavatory is on your right, three doors down," he replied, not even phased by her question.

"Thanks," she said, shuffling quickly towards her destination. Good thing she ran into this place. She was kind of terrified to figure out what would happen if she had to go outside in the Ghost Zone. A bit of freshening up later, reality hit her hard.

_Oh, you have got to be kidding me,_ she thought as she left the bathroom. No wonder she was so miserable! She was on her period! The first couple days always made her an emotional wreck. The only problem now was getting some... um... feminine hygiene products. But where on Earth was she going to find that?

"Ah, there you are. My friend's going to meet us at the front of the school. He should be here any second," Poindexter greeted Ari as she came back from the restroom.

"Great..." she smiled weakly, trying to not feel anymore awkward about her latest development. She squirmed at the front doors of the school for a bit before she saw her ghostly friend being shoved to the ground.

"Told you I would get you back, Poindexter," Rodney laughed before picking him up by the scruff of his shirt. "I don't care if you did stand up to the Halfa. You're still a geek, inside and out." He emphasized the last part of his sentence with a sharp punch to Sidney's face, knocking off and disfiguring his glasses. Students in the hall began gathering around the two, yelling 'Fight! Fight! Fight!' and cheering with every blow Rodney landed. Ari held up her hands to her face in horror, flinching with every punch Sidney received.

_No... No! Stop it!_ _You're hurting him!_ She wanted to cry out, but she was too terrified. What was she to do? Her friend was going to be beaten up, all because of her! _It's all your fault. It's all your fault!_

"I-!" she began before the loud roar of a machine cut her off. Bursting through the door was man with short blonde hair and ghostly green eyes, who rode on a black motorcycle with the green number '13' etched into the side of his bike. Skidding to a dramatic halt, he got off his machine, leaving a trail of green smoke in his wake. He looked like he was in his early twenties and was a sharp contrast to Sidney's teenage black and white features.

"Hey, Poindexter, you said you needed a favor?" the stranger asked before frowning at the student holding Sidney up. "Is there a problem here?"

"Johnny 13!" Rodney exclaimed before sheepishly saying, "N-No. No problem at all, Johnny. Just dealing with a nerd infestation."

"Well, your 'nerd infestation' is gonna have to wait. I gotta settle a deal with the small fry you got right there," Johnny pointed at Sidney who, despite having a black eye and bloody lip, looked down smugly at the jock. "So I'd put him down and bug off, unless you're seriously cruisin' for a bruisin'." Johnny emphasized this by clutching his leather, fingerless gloved hand into a fist.

"S-Sure thing, Johnny. No problem," Rodney chuckled nervously, gently setting down the geek before turning tail and running down the hall.

"Coward..." Johnny frowned before looking down at the grey-colored geek. "Consider my debt paid, Poindexter. Whatever your favor was, forget about it. I was done with high school the first time I graduated. I don't need to be bothered by all this." And with that statement, he shuffled back to his bike.

"No! Wait! Now hang on just a minute, Clyde!" Sidney fired back, walking quickly after Johnny, babbling about his plans to help Ari out, but Johnny didn't seem to care. He was already leading his bike back to the front of the school before Sidney yelled, "You can't just back out of a deal, Johnathan Cade! You still owe me that favor!" This made the biker ghost stop dead in his tracks, causing him to glare down the nerd with a look that could kill.

"I told you to _never_ call me that, punk!" Johnny growled, picking up Sidney by the scruff of his shirt, angry that he had used his real name. Now that Ari got a better look at the guy, he looked like he was from the fifties like Sidney, but he was all in color. His bike even had the same look. Wait... his bike. Was it? Could it be?!

"Oh my god, is that a Velocette Viper!?" Ari exclaimed happily, causing both of the ghosts to turn and dumbly look at her.

"...You know about bikes?" Johnny questioned curiously, dropping Sidney to the ground.

"Are you kidding!? I used to race hogs like this back home! Granted, they were BMX motocross dirt bikes, but still!" Ari beamed hyperly, not able to keep the excited word vomit down her throat. "She's _beautiful_ , and in such good condition! How did you get her? They stopped making them in the 70s!"

"Well, she's always been with me. She's a part of me, I guess, so I have to keep her regularly maintained," Johnny scratched the back of his head before grinning. Finally, someone appreciated the work he had done on his baby.

"Soooo, is that a 'yes' to you doing me a favor?" Poindexter grinned a Cheshire Cat grin, cocking one of his eyebrows. Johnny pulled a brief frown before giving in and sighing in defeat.

"Fine, but only because your mecha friend here is a total bodacious babe," he grinned deviously before offering her a leg up. "Hop on." She looked back at Sidney Poindexter, who began dusting himself off.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Sidney asked, picking up his glasses from the floor.

"Are you kidding? I should be asking you that," she laughed, surprised that even though he was the one who got beaten up, Sidney was the one who asked if _she_ was alright.

"Ah, don't worry about me. I'm right as rain. I can take care of myself," Poindexter shrugged before wiping his nose, taking on a masculine pose of showing his muscles. "Just wait until tomorrow. That bully won't know what hit him."

"Oh, wait!" She remembered, pulling his handkerchief out of her jacket pocket before handing it to him. "Here, I almost forgot."

"Keep it," he pushed her hand back. "That way, I'll know you'll be okay, wherever you are, 'cause you'll carry a little piece of me with you." It was then that she uncharacteristically pulled him into a hug.

"Thank you, Sidney... For everything," she whispered. "You're a real sweetheart."

"N-No problemo," he blushed before pulling out of the hug to straighten his glasses. "N-Now get a move on! You got to find Desiree, right?"

"Right," she nodded before climbing onto the hog. "Y-Your name's Johnny, right?"

"Yeah. By the way, if you tell anyone my real name-" Johnny threatened before Ari put up both her hands defensively.

"N-No, no. I-I get it." Looks like her stutter was back.

"Good. Now hold on tight, babe. It's gonna be a bumpy ride," he grinned, firing up the engine of his bike as she nervously held onto his back. He kicked it into a wheelie before they sped off into the Ghost Zone.


	5. A Bump in the Road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Driving in the world with no roads doesn't mean there aren't any bumps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as I like writing it. Also, brownie points to anyone who figured out why I gave Johnny 13 the last name "Cade." Enjoy!

It had been a while since Johnny 13 and Ari had taken off further into the Ghost Zone, and the thrill of being on a motorcycle again had steadily worn off, mainly because she was not the one driving. Also, she wasn't very thrilled with having to hold onto a guy she didn't know.

"So where is it you wanted to go?" Johnny asked finally, looking over his shoulder at Ari.

"The St-Storage Room- wait!" Ari exclaimed. "Y-You mean, w-we've been driving around all this t-time, and we weren't even g-going in the r-right direction?"

"Relax, babe. We've got plenty of time to get there. I'm just letting my baby cruise for a bit, that's all," he eased, sounding like he was kicking up his feet on the couch instead of driving a motorcycle.

"My n-name's not b-babe. It's Ari," she mumbled off to the side.

"Hello Johnny," purred a seductive voice belonging to a female ghost with devil-horn orange hair and a sharp red business suit.

"What do you want, Spectra?" Johnny grumbled, irritated that the therapist ghost was there. He never really got over the crazy girl's night she took Kitty on. It really messed with his relationship with Kitty. If anything, she had made it worse, along with her friend Ember McLain. He almost never recovered from the fight he and Kitty had had that time. He was seriously worried he had lost her forever; she didn't speak to him for two weeks. So the fact that Spectra was here now was bad news.

"I was just in the neighborhood and thought I'd stop by and say hello," Spectra smiled before eying Ari riding behind him, lowering her black shades to reveal her frightening green eyes. "And who do we have here?" Ari shrunk further behind Johnny's back, hoping it wasn't too late for the ghost not to have seen her. She didn't like this ghost. She seemed too nice to be normal. Usually people she knew who were like that were not so nice on the inside. "Hmmm... she's human. What? You've started abducting human girls now?"

"None of your business, Penelope," Johnny fired back, using her first name as ammunition. She only smiled deviously, the insult having no effect.

"Oh _Jonathan_ , please! There's no reason to be all sharp and barbed. I was just asking a question." She feigned a huff before moving closer towards Ari. "Well, whoever she is, she smells absolutely delicious." Spectra grinned, eying Ari like she was a meal. It was like she was the fat girl and Ari was the piece of cake.

"Back off, doll. She's with me, whether you like it or not," Johnny growled before also adding, "And don't call me Jonathan!"

"Oooh scary! Why are you so protective of her? She's just a human. Maybe I should tell Kitty that you're cheating on her again."

"You better not! I've had it with you getting between me and my girl! You have no right to be messing with our relationship!"

" _No right?_ Please hon, I'm a therapist. It's my job to help young couples, so trust me when I say that what you're doing right now isn't good at all for your relationship with Kitty. Honestly, I'm surprised she hangs around with such a lowlife like you as much as she does. She could honestly do better," she observed, placing her hands sassily on her hips. "I could take the little snack- I mean _girl_ , off your hands, and we'd have no problem. I'll just pretend that I didn't see anything."

Terrified out of her mind, Ari hid further behind Johnny, clinging to his jacket. This girl really _was_ looking at Ari like she was a meal! Was she a vampire or something? It was a possibility. She didn't think ghosts were real a couple days ago, but after the adventures she'd had recently, she'd clearly been proven wrong before.

Johnny stopped his bike hesitantly, glancing back at Ari and Spectra. Was he honestly thinking about trading her? Even though Ari had just met Sidney, she trusted him and that meant trusting his judgment. That included trusting Johnny 13 to deliver her where she needed to go, but she recalled that Johnny had nearly backed out of the deal he had with Sidney, which meant that it was a fifty-fifty shot of him taking the deal. She didn't know who this Kitty person was, but Johnny clearly cared a lot for her. If she was wrong and Johnny traded her to Spectra, what was going to happen to her? Would she become some undead slave, like all those horror movies depicted vampire victims? The thought was too horrible for her to think about.

"Looks like you'd rather just help yourself than your friends," Johnny frowned before he looked back at the now hopeful girl riding behind him. While he didn't know Ari well, only knowing her first name and the fact that she knew a little bit about his bike, he could tell that she was scared and that she didn't belong here. Much like he had the need to roam the Ghost Zone and beyond, he knew that she needed to go home. Knowing that he had deprived his enemy of a meal, he smirked at Spectra's dumbfounded expression and decided to flaunt it in her face. "You seem to be gaining a few wrinkles lately, _Penelope._ What's the matter? Your real age catching up to ya?" His statement clearly got under her skin. Literally! Her skin visibly _burned off_ , revealing a dark shadow creature with sharp teeth and red eyes.

"I'll show you wrinkles!" Spectra flared up as she lunged at the biker before he quickly sped off. She began dive-bombing the pair, sending ectoblasts of energy his way. Trying to serpentine and shake the specter off, he managed to swerve and dodge the blasts but couldn't shake her off his path.

"Shadow, attack!" Johnny ordered as a long, fearsome black shadow with green eyes shot out from under Johnny's motorcycle towards the ghost. It let out a ghostly shriek as it sped around Spectra, who tried to defend against its blows. Spectra's teeth gleamed a pearly white as she hissed and attacked the other shadow, scratching and fighting with it, tooth-and-nail. Ari's eyes widened at the spectacle, confused to see who was fighting who, the only difference between the two being the color of their eyes and slight difference in shape.

"Umm Johnny? D-Don't you think we s-should be w-wearing helmets f-for this?" Ari questioned fearfully, clutching onto his jacket like it was life support, her knuckles slowly turning white.

"Nah. Helmets are for chumps," Johnny waved off, like it wasn't a big deal to wear a helmet. But being without one made Ari a bit nervous, especially when they had to defend against attacking ghosts.

"Umm c-could I still get one pl-please?" she requested a bit more earnestly, now that they had just finished doing loop-de-loops on the warped paths of the Ghost Zone. She would have screamed, but she was honestly too terrified for noise.

"Fine," he sighed before summoned a small bit of ghostly energy from his bike, which converted some of its ectoplasm into a black helmet with green flames that formed on Ari's head. "Where was it you wanted to go to, again?"

"The S-Storage Room. Th-that's where Sidney said w-we should go," she stammered before Spectra and the shadow were sent flying forward, nearly knocking over Johnny's bike before he ran her over. _Oh my god!_ "Sh-Shouldn't we be more worried about her?"

"Nah, she should busy for a while," Johnny waved as Spectra got up slowly, furious about Johnny running her over before his shadow tackled her from the side. "My shadow gives everyone it touches or passes through temporary bad luck, so that will at least buy us some time before it wears off. They don't call me Johnny 13 for nothin'."

"Uh huh..." Ari said, her eyes wide from both the fact that Spectra had gotten up from being run over and also the fact that Johnny's shadow was bad luck. The helmet she had was made out of Johnny's bike. Did that also mean that it was, there by association, a part of Johnny's shadow? Was that why they had such trouble right now? She looked forward towards the road and tried not to think about it, asking Johnny, "How m-much further?"

"Almost there. Hang on tight!" Johnny said with a determine look as his bike roared, somehow moving even faster than before. Green flames now scorched where they rode instead of smoke, leaving a fiery trail behind them. They were moving so fast, it was frightening! Ari couldn't help but close her eyes from the wind that blew at her face. She couldn't help but let out a small yell from the speed. It was terrifying! It was thrilling! It was exciting! It was also over before she knew it.

"We're here," he stated as he pulled his bike's kickstand down with his food. He about to get off his bike before he noticed, with a smirk, that Ari was still holding onto his jacket. "...You can let go of me now."

"O-Oh, s-sorry," Ari blushed, not realizing she was still hanging on before gradually prying her fingers off. She had been hanging on so tightly, it was like her hands didn't want to unclasp anymore. Rubbing her knuckles slightly, she shivered from the excess adrenaline and reached out hesitantly before turning the doorknob. She was a little anxious in doing so, since her last experiences with doors weren't the best of ones, but her struggle was not in-vain, for what lay beyond the door was a purple colored treasure trove of real world items. It was an absolute sight for sore eyes! Scattered in the air were CDs, lunchboxes, with _real_ food inside, canteens, and even- YES! TAMPONS! FINALLY! Ari floated up eagerly towards the feminine hygiene products, clasping them happily to her chest. No longer would she feel the awkwardness of uncleanliness!

"Uhh, what are those?" Johnny pointed, quickly pulling Ari out of her self-induced state of euphoria and into a large state of embarrassment.

"G-Girl things, you w-wouldn't understand!" she said quickly, turning a ripe shade of red as she stashed them into her satchel.

"Uh huh... so is there any reason why you're here or did you come just to loot the Storage Room?" Johnny asked, cocking an eyebrow in amusement.

"Oh! Umm... yes!" Ari blinked, trying to compose herself. "I'm looking for Desiree." As she said it, it only then occurred to her she had no idea what Desiree looked like. She turned towards the biker. "Umm... Johnny?"

"Yeah?"

"You... w-wouldn't happen to know Desiree, w-would you?"

"Yeah, I know of her."

"...Do you know w-what she h-happens to look like?" she asked with a sheepish grin.

"Yea- Wait," Johnny stopped short with an incredulous frown. "You mean I had to drive you all the way down to the Storage Room to find a ghost, and you didn't even know what she _looked like_?"

"I'm s-sorry! I've been a little pr-preoccupied lately!" Ari exclaimed bashfully. "You know, g-getting lost in the Ghost Zone and tr-trying not to die before my tw-twenty first birthday!"

"Twenty first birthday? Wait, how old are you?"

"Eighteen."

"Oh really?" he grinned. "By the way you act, I would have thought you were fourteen, maybe sixteen, tops."

"Please, Johnny. She's still _way_ too young for you," Spectra rolled her eyes, now back in her human form and leaning against the doorway of the Storage Room, effectively blocking the exit. "You know," she began, sashaying towards the duo. "As one of Kitty's friends, I can't, in good conscious, let you break her heart. So it looks like I'm going to have to break you instead, along with your little tramp here." Ari's fear reflected in Spectra's tantalizing malice she held in her dark green eyes. "You should have taken my deal, Jonathan. That way you wouldn't be suffering right now."

"No way, man. I don't back out on my deals," Johnny said defiantly. "I'm a man of my word. Plus, do you realize how mad Kitty would be if she found out?"

"Who's Kitty?" Ari finally asked.

 _"I'm_ Kitty," clarified a pissed off seventies female ghost with choppy green hair and burning red eyes.

"Oh crud," Johnny deadpanned before flinching under his girlfriend's evil stare. Behind her was Spectra with a cocky, malicious grin.

"Guess who I ran into on my way here while you were off with the little tramp? Your _girlfriend._ Oops. Was I not supposed to let that little secret slip?" Spectra feigned surprise before chuckling evilly. She reached into her pocket, pulling out a black cloth in disgust. "Here's your little friend back." She released the weakened shadow that whimpered and weakly slunk back to Johnny like a beaten puppy dog. Johnny looked down briefly down as his shadow in concern before his glare momentarily returned back to Spectra.

"Johnny, who is _she_?" Kitty growled, pointing angrily towards Ari's direction.

"She's nobody, kitten. I owed a guy a favor and promised him I'd give her a ride out of here," Johnny grinned weakly. To everyone's surprise, he was actually telling the truth, but his nervousness sure wasn't helping convince his ghostly girlfriend otherwise.

"You picked up some other human floozy? Again?" Kitty spat.

"No! Kitty, I swear, it's the truth!"

"He's r-right!" Ari spoke up, not wanting another bloodbath. "H-He was just giving me a r-ride to the Storage Room to find Desiree! If I couldn't find her, h-he was going to try and take me home, I swear! Nothing happ-!"

"Shut up, you tramp! I wasn't talking to you!" Kitty snapped as she slammed her purse hard into Ari's face, knocking her into several midair summersaults before she slammed against an old locker. Ari held her jaw tearfully as she looked up at the angered girlfriend. "You've better hope you've got a better excuse than that, Johnny!"

"Yeah, Kitty. Let's here another excuse for why he was having a human girl cling onto him the entire time on the way back to her house," Spectra added, feeding the flames of Kitty's hatred.

"If you _think_ I'm letting you drive back to her place, you've got another thing coming, Johnny 13!" Kitty spat before turning towards her friend. "Thanks for telling me, Spectra. You can have _her."_

"No problem," Spectra grinned before she suddenly flew down towards Ari and grabbed tightly onto her shoulders. Ari shrunk down her neck, expecting a horrible bite to the neck with those sharp teeth. What she received next... was _way_ worse. Images of the last few days relayed into her mind. The move, the fight, the divorce, the loneliness... Every trauma, every broken heart, every blow-crushing failure, every sad, painful memory... they all flooded up to the surface all at once! Even the misery of her PMS was supercharging the experience! It was like every happy memory Ari had ever had was drained from her memory, leaving nothing but misery for company for the evil ghost to feed on.

"Mmmm~ I've never tasted such a concoction of angst and misery. It's addictive! I might get hooked to feeding off of you, darling!" Spectra grinned sardonically as more green energy syphoned off of Ari into her.

"J-Johnny... help... me," Ari gasped weakly, reaching out for the biker.

"It's either _her_ or me, Johnny," Kitty pouted angrily, Johnny looking nervously back and forth between the two girls. There was no contest.

"Alright Kitty, you win," he sighed, holding both his hands up in defeat, causing Ari to look up at him in shock. "Sorry, Ari. I fulfilled my promise. I'm not risking my neck anymore for you."

"Actually, you lot won't be riskin' your necks for anyone anytime soon," said a masculine voice with a Texan accent. Suddenly green blasts were fired, cuffing the biker ghost's wrists with green spectral handcuffs. "'Cause your necks are about to be fitted with nooses."

Two more blasts were sent screaming their way, cuffing Kitty and Spectra, effectively knocking the latter off of Ari, who laid collapsed against a desk. Weak and emotionally drained, Ari looked up at her savior. The Texan voice belonged to tall white ghost who resembled a skeleton, only with a more chiseled jawbone and a fuller figure. His green eyes peered down at the group from underneath his black cowboy hat as he pulled out a glowing green book from underneath his white trench coat and licked his thumb before turning over the sections in his book.

"Speeding in a no speed zone, reckless driving, public disturbance, harming a human without cause," the Texan listed off from his book, Ari staring hopefully at her savior before his eyes met up with Ari's in a disgusted glare. " _Stealing_ unauthorized, unworldly materials. You folks were just itchin' to break the rules today, weren't ya?"

"What am I being arrested for?!" Kitty questioned.

"Simple," the ghost replied. "You're an accomplice, both to a reckless driver and a premeditated murderer."

"What!?" Ari yelped before looking back incredulously at Kitty. "Wh-Why?! I've never even m-met you before!"

"Quiet, you!" the law enforcer shouted. "There may be disorder in this world, but there will be order in my prison."

"Pr-Prison!?" Ari stuttered with wide eyes.

"Yes, ma'am. Aside from the numerous infractions you and your friends have already committed, you're also in violation of trespassing in the Ghost Zone-"

"But I didn't mean to-!" Ari blubbered before he continued.

"Whether you meant to or not don't mean diddly-squat to me. Accidents are just crimes waiting to happen. And thanks to the Phantom kid, I now have the equipment to restrain humans and ghosts." He grinned as he pulled out a pair of handcuffs that cops usually would carry and cuffed them to her wrists. "And these here are real beauties. They only unlock when they hear a voice command from yours truly, which means no more escapes or rough housing unless I say so."

Ari couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had never committed a crime in her life and now she was going to prison- to make matters even worse- a _ghost_ prison!

This day was quickly turning into one of the worst days of her life.


	6. Wonderland

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fantasy should never supersede one's reality.

Rows of hayfields surrounded Ari when she woke up underneath her spot under the old oak tree with a book on her lap. She had dozed off again. For some reason, ancient Chinese philosophy always seemed to put her to sleep. It wasn't boring, just very calming. She rubbed the right side of her face, which was now imprinted with the pattern of the bark into her cheek, plucking a strand of grass that had stuck to her lip.

She used to chew on and pick her teeth with reeds of prairie grass all the time as a child. Over time, it began to slowly turn into a habit of just chewing, causing her huge addiction to gum, specifically watermelon flavor, as the taste of grass often had a sweetness to it. The smell of it wasn't too bad either. The only smells more pleasant to her were a mixture of mud and motor oil, and the runoff scent of flowers after a huge rainstorm.

Slightly disoriented and confused as to where she was, she blearily looked around and got up from her spot, her black BMX dirtbike resting against the tree trunk. She touched the bike's hull tentatively, as if it would disappear in a second, before she felt the cool metal beneath her fingertips. It was free of dents, broken springs, and had straight wheels, like it always did. She lifted the bike from the trunk of the tree and kicked it to life, the sound startling her a bit before riding back on a dirt path. She hadn't expected it to work.

Grasshoppers and locusts leapt in front of her path as she raced down the familiar dirt road, curious if it would lead her where she thought it would. It wasn't long before she pulled into the edge led to her old house. The path really did lead her back home. Curious, she flung open the porch door and rushed inside. Everything was where it was supposed to be. Her mother Kimiko tilted her head towards the direction of the ruckus Ari was making from the kitchen before smiling briefly at her daughter.

"Hey, sweetie," said her mom distractedly as she cradled a phone on her shoulder. "Dinner will be ready in a couple minutes." Her stringy, dark brown hair was pulled back into a short ponytail, her apron caked in flour as she slid a silver tray into the oven. "Yes, Judy," her mother into the phone as she pushed the door shut and started the timer. "I just finished making the cookies for the company picnic. I'm putting them in the oven as we speak."

Ari stood for what felt like minutes before she unconsciously kicked off her tennis shoes and walked towards the kitchen. The walls were covered in baby pictures, family portraits, and memories the family had securely displayed like prizes and awards, even having Ari's old artworks from when she was five tacked to the wall with pushpins. She reached out and gently touched a crayon drawing she had done of her family and her rabbit Junpei before she heard the distant, familiar unlocking creak of the door that led to the garage.

"Honey, I'm home," cheerfully said a masculine voice in a work-weary tone. It belonged to a tall, scruffy, middle-aged man in a business suit. He pushed back his auburn hair, brushing hairs away from his tired, golden, hazel eyes before smilingly warmly at Ari.

"Hey, kiddo," he greeted, but Ari was in shock. He was here! He couldn't be here! Why was he here? All these thoughts raced through her mind until one finally struck her with enough force to make her move forward. _Dad._

"Dad!" she cheered before clasping him tightly around his middle, nearly knocking the "old man" off his balance. Dad! Dad was home! She didn't know why or how, but he was here! He was smiling. Had she truly forgotten that smile, that face? She had barely recognized him. It was his voice that had brought her out of her trance. Had it truly been so long ago that she'd seen that face that he wore so naturally? It was just like before... before...

"Whoa, where's the fire, sweet pea? You act like you haven't seen me in months," he chuckled as she looked up at him in startled confusion. But-! But it _had_ been months... hadn't it? Her brow wrinkled in deep thought, like a murky, melancholy memory before she shook it off and smiled, writing it off as a bad, forgotten dream.

"Nothing... I just missed you," she said a near whisper, her trembling voice full of sincerity as her father hugged her back. It had been so long... Ages. But it hadn't been that long, had it? Not that long at all. "I'm surprised that you're here, though."

"Why wouldn't your father be here?" her mother said as she hung up the phone and placed it back on the wall, walking towards the duo. "He came all this way to see your race."

"My race?" Ari blinked. She had a race?

"The big BMX motocross race in Rochester you signed up for. It's only a couple days away. Don't tell me your forgot," her dad said. Curious, Ari fidgeted with her hoodie before pulling down slightly to look at the back of her right arm. No scar. How was that possible? Had she imagined the accident? The sound of her mother's dramatic sigh snapped her out of her train of thought.

"Figures that she would get so nervous about a race that she forgot about it. I swear, Felix, she gets that from you," she smirked, crossing her arms.

"Funny, I was about to say the same about you," he said with a wry smile before kissing the top of his wife's forehead. Ari was almost a bit perturbed by the display of affection. It had been a while since her parents had ever acted like that around each other, so it was a bit unnerving to her. Then again, most kids felt that way when their parents got all mushy. They parted with warm smiles before they noticed their daughter's distress.

"Something wrong, sweetie?" her mother asked.

"Didn't we...? Weren't you..?" Ari trailed off, trying to find her train of thought before she felt her dad's hand on her shoulder.

"I think the midsummer heat finally got to her," Felix leaned forward and mock-whispered to his wife. "How about we break out some ice pops? I've got watermelon, orange, and mango ice-pops, your favorites."

"Really?!" Ari exclaimed excitedly.

"Yeah. They're in the freezer, all ready for ya," he grinned as his daughter darted off towards the kitchen. She couldn't remember the last time she had an ice pop! She had thought they were discontinued. Pushing the bottom of her pop, she sucked greedily on the delicious treat she pulled out of the freezer before breaking it various places and chewing on the ice and plastic. Sitting out on the patio, eating ice pops, it was a dream come true! Expectantly, sh sniffed the air for the nostalgic scent that soon filled her nostrils. It was filled with the smell of burning charcoal and meat. Her dad had changed out of his work clothes and started up the grill, making his famous hamburgers and venison steaks. She had already begun to drool.

She could recall the many days her family had sat around the kitchen counter, talking about their days with laughter and smiles while they ate delicious food. No negativity had entered their household. No unhappiness had invaded their inner circle. Finally, there was peace. Finally, they were acting like a family again. It was almost too good to be true. Too good to be true indeed...

Inari was soon jolted awake from her lovely wonderland by the sharp sound of a wolf, baying in pain.

 


	7. Jailbirds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

The eerie, pained howl shook Ari instantly awake. It wasn't one of those times where you gradually woke up from a dream. It was that rare moment that your eyes just snap open and everything hits you hard ten seconds after waking up, leaving you confused, disheveled, and off balance. In that ten seconds, she found her sweet, lovely wonderland slipping away, like raindrops falling down a car window, and was replaced with chaos. She had woken up from a dream and ended up in a nightmare. All hell had broken loose in the prison. The sound of alarms were in the area, dozens of guards rushed by in anxiety.

"Contain the prisoner!" a guard ordered as dozens of men flew past him towards the sounds of fighting. Screams from the guards chorused against loud emissions of blasts fired.

"How did he get out?!" one asked, urgently reaching for his weapon.

"Bet it was because of the new inmate. I wish I knew what Walker was thinking when he thought of keeping a human prisoner here..." This made Ari looked outside her cell with interest. What did they mean by that? Why did it matter that she was here?

Suddenly, a dark denizen appeared in the hallway before her. The ghost had dark violet ram-like horns, bright red eyes, and a curling, shadow form body that donned the appearance of the night sky. To add to his fearsome appearance, he had sharp fangs, a long scar over his left eye, and a small goatee. Clearly, he was bad news.

"You're a fool if you think you can keep me here, Walker. I am eons older than you and your men," the ghost said coolly before sending spiraling blue ecto-blasts towards his foes. The white ghost appeared behind his men, his cold stare holding no fear as he stepped towards the escaped ghost. She had learned that the warden who had saved her, escorted her to prison, and was now fighting the ghost was named Walker, and that he was a bit by-the-book of his own rules according to Johnny 13, who was incoherently grumbling "crooked cop" along with some other choice, inflammatory words on the car ride over to the penitentiary.

"Take him down, Wulf," Walker ordered, looking over his shoulder. An intense howl bayed again, this time closer and much, much louder. To her horror, it belonged to large black creature that resembled an eight foot werewolf. Shaggy, black coarse hair covered his entire body, save for the few parts where a ragged, neon green jumpsuit covered the creature. Its long, white fangs gleamed under his scarred snout with what appeared to be some sort of greenish liquid, which Ari assumed was blood in this world. It snarled ferociously at the escaped ghost, who was turning a bit paler shade of grey when faced against the creature. He quickly shook this off before firing large streams of energy at the creature. Stunned, Wulf whimpered at being struck in the eye and rubbed his face with the back of his large paw as the other ghost saw it as an opportunity to flee.

"He's getting away! Do as I say, you stupid mutt!" Walker shouted irritably, uttering the short command 'punish' that activated the large canine's shock collar. Wulf screamed in agony, his wails sounding almost eerily human. It terrified Ari to her very core, and she had a two inch wall of glass shielding her from the incident. She didn't enjoy seeing animals suffer, the torture being almost... inhumane. But it was a ghost, and a werewolf ghost at that. There wasn't anything human about that thing, especially when its eyes turned into a demonic blood red as it snarled and attacked the renegade ghost in a blind fury, unsheathing its long green claws.

The shadow ghost appeared to be able to regenerate, but not quickly enough to heal against the animal's slashing claws and sharp fangs as he bit into his shoulder and drug him screaming down the hall. Suddenly, the snarling stopped as Walker did a short whistle. The dog drug his prey towards the warden and dropped him at his feet, pinning his shoulder down with fangs still sunk into the being's shoulder as Wulf shifted around so that he had his body on top of him. His large right paw forced down on the ghost's head as Walker smirked down at the escapee.

"Didn't take much to take ya down, did it, Nocturne? Now that you don't have the aid of humans and your sleepwalkers to do your dirty work, you're nothin' but an old man living in a fantasy world."

"Says the ghost who's deepest desire is for old world totalitarian control over everyone, based on what he calls 'order.' Don't you know that the Ghost Zone's true order is chaos?" the ghost known as Nocturne smirked weakly, even after being mauled by the wolf beast. With a short nod towards the were-beast, Wulf crawled off of Nocturne as the guards hauled him towards his cell. "You cannot keep me here forever... Thanks to the human child, I will be strong enough to break free of your restraints," the dream ghost grinned as he pulled hard against the shackles, pulling the ghosts who held onto him like a dog dragging his owner.

"Not if I have anything to say about it, you don't. As far as I'm concerned, there will be no chaos in my prison. Not unless I say so," Walker stated before turning towards the prison wall. "Auto-lock 134, on." He spoke into the microphone, the steel door forcefully shutting its large cables as its tumblers fastened and clicked together, solidifying the lock. His gaze then turned towards Ari's.

"Human, you're with me." He uttered the command 'auto-lock 138 off' before her glass prison door pulled apart like automatic sliding doors. Ari backed further into her corner. A corner she was very reluctant to leave even when one of the guards came in to get her.

"Walker's requested your presence. Move, now," he ordered, jabbing her arm with the butt of his weapon for emphasis, trying to get her to move. She only curled up into her corner more, like a hermit crab retracting into its shell after trying to avoid a prying child's fingers.

"Wulf, fetch," Walker ordered, causing Ari to cringe in absolute terror as the wolf lumbered over towards her, leaning down to pick her up with his teeth.

"NO!" she cried out an ear-splitting shriek, quickly unraveling into a blubbering mess. "P-Please don't bite me! Please don't bite me! I-I'll be good! I swear, I'll be good! I'll go w-with you!" She wasn't sure if she was bit if she would turn into a werewolf or not, but she didn't want to find out. The warden seemed to be very pleased with her reaction. That's how he wanted all his prisoners to act. To fear and obey. That was the warden's ultimate rule. He gestured for Wulf to back off before Ari slowly got up from her corner and walked cautiously towards the warden.

"Isn't he beautiful? He used to be an escaped prisoner, just like him," Walker observed proudly as they passed the prison door that held Nocturne, who was bleeding profusely from his shoulder. "Now look at him. Devolved into a beast that only understands pain and to follows orders. With him, I have control over the entire world. No prisoner will be able to escape from here."

She looked over at the bipedal beast. He did have a bit of a rabid look about him, his eyes appearing soulless and dead, though she could have sworn they held a note of sadness, but she must have imagined it because with a short whistle between Walker's fingers, the canine snapped into attention and followed after them, snuffling a bit at the air.

Meanwhile, Nocturne was currently nursing his wounds inside his new prison. It was true he grew powerful from dreams, but only when they were being dreamt. He didn't have his devices to keep the human under an artificial coma like he wanted, but he managed to syphon a quite a bit of energy from her, and so easily. She had a very vivid imagination.

"No fair, Nocturne. I wanted a taste of her," said a loquacious voice belonging to a pouting Spectra, who was irritated that Nocturne had been stealing some of her meal.

"You would, Penelope," Nocturne scoffed at the therapist. "It's so rare to come across a psychic vampire such as myself. Why do you continue to feed off of such negative emotions?"

"Because misery enjoys company and a lot of it. I find it an easier resource, unlike you and your powers. You could be so much more if you spent less time on giving people happy dreams, and more time on creating visual hells for them, you would be busted out of here instead of licking your wounds."

"You see, my dear, that is where your problem lies," Nocturne tutted. "If you want to keep your prey from escaping, you have to lure it into a false sense of security. You have to make it want to stay and help you. Only then do you snap the trap. By then, it is already too late to escape. I have seen that girl's dreams. She has a very... vivid imagination. A lot of wistful memories of the home she's longing for. She will be within my grasp very soon. By the end of the night, she will be an easy pawn to prey upon. I guarantee it."

"That can only get you so far, Nocturne. Luring prey like that is like trying to build trust: hard to build, easy to destroy. I'm never that patient with my food plus, what if someone wakes the girl up again? Walker won't let you get away a second time, especially if he has Wulf with him."

"Well then, what do you suggest?"

"I recommend a trade. A temporary partnership," Spectra suggested. "I'll help you break out of here if, in exchange, you leave me the girl when we're done. I've seen her misery as well. All that pain, all those delicious secrets. She's not as innocent as everyone makes her out to be. I believe we can manipulate her into doing what we want. She's very vulnerable right now and, given the right push, we could send her in a huge downward spiral that would keep me young forever and you powerful beyond your wildest dreams."

"Hmmm," Nocturne contemplated Spectra's suggestion. "You say I can become more powerful if I feed off of nightmares? Very well. I'll try it your way this time. However, if you want desired results like that, we best make it look like an accident. That way, when all of this is over, she will receive all the blame, and we'll get off scott-free. Then you can feed on the rest of her misery and do away with her as you see fit."

"I like the way you think, Nocturne," Spectra purred before the two ghosts began to put their plan into action.

 


	8. Introverted Interrogations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ego can create false perceptions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you didn't get this from the last chapter, the Claw of the Wild episode has not, nor will ever happen. In this universe, Wulf has been captured some time after Public Enemies (probably immediately after) and tortured by Walker to the point of devolving. Side note, I have published a one shot on the origins of Wulf called "Peter and the Wulf" if you are interested in reading it. Enjoy!

To say Ari Faux was substantially nervous when she entered Walker's office to be questioned was an understatement. The fact that he had a huge, killer dog-wolf... thing, just aggravated the situation more. She had seen enough crime shows to know how interrogation worked. She just wondered how it would turn out. Intimidation seemed to be his shtick. He had a loud, booming voice, with a tough Texan accent to boot, and was armed to the teeth with guards, security tech, and malevolent ghosts that he just seemed itching to release on someone. Her first initial impression of him seemed to label him as the type to want to be in full control at all times. There needed to be rules, regulation, _control_. That was essential, especially for a man of his position. She decided it was wise to play along. She was roaming around in territory she didn't understand. Also, he scared the absolute shit out of her. But, then again, most authority figures did.

In her mind, she was innocent of all charges, but even the innocent could feel guilt if someone had convinced them they were guilty. That's how prosecution lawyers won their cases. She had felt that way anytime a cop car would pass by on the more public roads of her hometown. She could have been the perfect driver, following all the speed limits and traffic laws, but as soon as the sirens came on, a cold sweat was the knee-jerk reaction. It set her teeth on edge.

She tried to put on a brave face to make up for her moment of weakness in the cell against Wulf earlier, who had just now casually sat down by the door, acting as its guard. She hoped she could somehow steer the situation in her favor, maybe even into possibly making a deal with the warden, but that possibility was a stretch, even for her. She wouldn't really know until she evaluated Walker.

"Have a seat there, girl," Walker said, sounding more like an order than a suggestion. She complied anyways. "Here, I am your judge, executioner, jury, executioner, jailer, and if necessary, your executioner..." he began, pacing proudly at his own authority. _Did he just say executioner three times?_

"So..." he continued, leaning in real close with a narrowed, calculating scowl. "Why exactly did you wander into _my_ Ghost Zone?"

"I...I..." Ari began, already feeling the strong urge to hide behind her hood and long hair. It was her best defense: hide and appear weak. Maybe then no one would bother you. Usually, this was how she would get sympathy from getting pulled over or if she broke a dish. Drama was her shtick, and she played the act of the victim well. Her meek appearance gave her a distinct advantage. The fact that she rarely ever caused any trouble just added to it, most who had caught her letting her off with a warning. This time, it wasn't working.

"Speak up, girl. Can't hardly hear a thing you say," Walker ordered in a gruff tone, waves of slight irritation coming off of him. The warden had dealt with many 'innocent' prisoners, and this one would be no different. It just meant longer hours of trying to get her to talk. To him, her blubbering wasn't endearing. It was just plain outright annoying. Most prisoners who did this were the kinds that threw their accomplices under the bus to get a shorter sentence or a plea bargain, and he expected no less when he talked to her. He knew he would get the real story out of her. He would get her to crack.

"I... I w-wasn't r-read my rights..." she managed to spit out. This had thrown him for a loop. She had partially backed off of her ignorance routine. Now she was playing by the rules. If the 'ignore me' scam didn't work, she broke out the logic angle. He couldn't keep her here. She had done nothing wrong, and she was going to try and enforce that.

"What did you say to me?" Walker growled as he moved in close towards her face, making Ari crawl back even further. Why had she said that?! Stupid! Stupid!

"Look me in the eye when I'm talkin' to you," he glared, making Ari squirm even more in discomfort as she forced herself to look up at his ghostly green eyes. She wasn't good about confrontation. Clenching hard at the chair's arms, she tried focusing towards the pain in her hands and concentrate more on what she was saying than on where she was looking. She had come this far.

"You... Y-You can't arrest s-someone unless you r-read them the Miranda rights. That's the r-rules," she said a little more awkwardly, breaking her weak stare to quickly glance back down at the floor. "I-I have my rights..."

His eyes, though void of pupils, held a note of confusion in them as he slowly pulled away, lessening the tension Ari could feel building in the room. He didn't seem mad so much as unsure what to say. It was one of the first times a criminal had quoted the law rather than blame someone else or beg for him to let them go. Whoever this kid was, she was smart. Smarter than his other prisoners. Clearly, he would have to handle her a different way.

"That would work except for one small problem: You're not under arrest," he said finally.

"I... I'm not?" Ari gaped.

"Nope. I can't house humans for improbable cause. They're too much work to keep contained and rare to come by," he said, casually pulling out his rulebook and leafing through random sections. "I just couldn't deal with ya at the moment. Most people think that as soon as I'm gone, it's easy for them to break out of jail. But that's where they'd be wrong. _No one_ escapes _my_ prison."

So... she was falsely arrested? That meant he couldn't legally hold her here and question her. Ari thought about pointing this out to him, but she decided against it with her better judgment and just kept her big mouth shut. Best to not poke the beehive more than you had to get the honey.

"Frankly, you're more of a liability than an asset to this here prison, so you're free to go," he finished, closing his book coolly.

"...That's it?" Ari deadpanned.

"That's it."

It was that easy!? It couldn't have been that easy... could it? Was this a trap? Why would he do that? He was a cop. But Johnny had called him a 'crooked cop'... She couldn't tell if he was lying. He was harder to read than most. She stood up and hesitantly picked up her bag on the table, wary of the Wulf in the corner, but he made no notion or hint of aggression towards her. He just looked like a dog at the feet of his master.

She paused at the door, turning back in confliction. She was released. This was what she had wanted, only... now what? What would she do now? She had no map, no ride, and no clue as to where home or Desiree was. Once again, she was back to square one.

"Somethin' the matter?" Walker asked, noticing the hesitation in her stride.

"No... it's just... I have no way back home now. Y-You kind of arrested my ride," she stated with an awkward note of embarrassment.

"Not my problem. Just go back the way ya came," he replied shortly, glancing back at his with a dull expression. Was he ignoring her now?

"But... But that's the problem," Ari argued back, turning so she was facing the warden. "I have no way back 'cause I wasn't supposed to be here. I got here by accident!"

"...Did you now?" Walker asked with a smile, sitting up with real interest. "Why don't you tell me about that then?" Suddenly, she felt like his smile was that of a cat that had just eaten the canary.

"I-I... I e-ended up h-here by accident..." Ari mumbled, slowly trailing off into her usual bit of stuttering. "I s-sort of wished to be here, and one thing lead to another..."

"Then why were you associating with criminal ghosts?" Walker asked pointedly.

"J-Johnny was j-just giving me a r-ride back to the S-Storage Room to f-find Desiree. She's the one wh-who sent m-me here, so she c-could be the one w-who c-could send me b-back..."

"Hmmm... so Desiree's been out causing trouble again? Interesting..." Walker said mostly to himself. "I'll take your testimony into consideration. I've already questioned young Mr. Cade, and he confirms your story, so either he's lying and you're in cahoots, or your story is true. And since this is your first offense, I'll let you off with a warning, just so long as I never have to see your face around here again. Someone will make arrangements to escort you back to your-" Walker stopped, his eyes finding an item of interest as Ari began going through her satchel. "What's that?"

"Umm..." Ari began to blush furiously, shyly looking around for something more interesting before she managed to squeak out, "T-Tampons?"

"No, not that. This!" He growled, thrusting a high tech, food container in her face.

"Uh...a s-soup thermos?" With a short whistle from Walker, Wulf pounced onto Ari's chest, knocking her to the ground and the canister out of her hand. Wulf growled menacingly at her face, the smell of blood, rotting meat, and standard halitosis dog breathe searing through her nostrils as she reeled back from the ferocious beast. Walker's boot stopped the silver thermos from rolling any farther.

"I don't like being lied to, missy. So here's what you're goin' to do," he scowled, picking up the thermos with an ironclad grip. "This time, you're gonna tell me who you're workin' for and why you're here spyin' on _my_ Ghost Zone. I was being nice at first, but now I want answers."

"What!? I-! I'm not spying on a-anyone! I ended up h-here on accident, I s-swear!" Ari cried out in protest.

"The innocent don't stutter," he sneered, her mouth gaping slightly at the statement. It wasn't her fault that she stuttered. She couldn't help it! She couldn't help any of this! Why was this happening? She had been home free! She had Johnny's testimony and everything. What had went wrong? Johnny... Oh, why had she agreed to ride with Johnny? Why had she listened to Sidney? And why, oh dear god why, did she make that _stupid_ wish?

"You must be workin' with the Phantom kid. This is his equipment," he said holding up a green and silver thermos she had put into her bag. Danny Phantom again? He's all that she's heard about since she got here. Why was he so important?

"That's just a s-soup thermos! I was saving that in case I needed food or water!" Ari explained. Walker frowned slightly before he uncapped it and shot a blue, electronic beam at one of the nearby ghost guards, effectively capturing him.

"I..! I had no idea it could do that, I swear!" she sputtered.

"Hmm, you know, I would have let you off with a warning if you had admitted to your guilt. But since you've chosen denial, your sentence of one hundred years still stands-"

"-One hundred years?!" She exclaimed. That was profound, even for prison. That was like having a life sentence.

"Take her into custody," he ordered, motioning for Wulf to remove his paw and allow the two guards nearby to escort Ari back to her cell. "Have a nice evenin'."

"N-No! Please! Stop! I d-didn't do it! D-Don't I get a phone call?" She tried to spit out in defiance, but it fell on deaf ears. The guards already began to pull her back down the hallway that lead to her cell. Now, she was angry. No, she was outraged at this... injustice! How dare he! He dare he ignore the law like that! How dare he ignore _her!_

"What kind of prison warden are you?!" She screeched, creating the first real, loud, clear argument she had made all day. He stopped for a moment before tipping his hat and looking back at her with a smug grin.

"One of the best." And with that said, he turned and left, leaving Ari to hopelessly struggle against the guards escorting her to her cell.


	9. Thinking Outside the Box

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When stripped of everything, all that is left is your wits.

It was what appeared to be nighttime in the Ghost Zone as pair of watchful eyes pierced through the darkness. It was a bit hard to tell, since the sky looked the exact same from outside the prison. The only sign Ari had was through the tired ache in her bones and lessened amount of staff patrolling the halls, her gaze darting towards the sound of two guards talking nearby.

_This will work for sure this time!_ she thought. After the guards had disappeared down another hallway, she slowly counted backwards from ten before she put her plan into action. _Three... two... one!_ She took a deep breathe and focused on her intangibility as she walked forward and phased through the prison door.

_Yes!_ She cheered, _But she couldn't celebrate yet,_ she chided herself. She may be out of the tree, but she was still not out of the woods yet. She had a limited amount of time to explore before the guards came back. She had been doing this little exercise for an undeterminable amount of days... or hours. She wasn't really sure since she didn't carry a watch. There was no real way to keep time in this place, outside of her three squared meals a day, though she had regrettably lost track since she had slept through most of the breakfasts because they served it really early in the morning, and no one really bothered to tell anyone what meal it was since it was the same slop for every meal. This had made it extremely boring for her.

At least in all the prison movies she had seen, the prisoners could scratch the amount of days in the wall, but since there was no sun or moon, she couldn't even have that anymore. She had grown tired counting the tiles on her ceiling and inventing different uses for her pillow and blanket. So far, it was at fifteen. The dubious timelessness of the prison was almost torture in and of itself. So the fact that she could try and sneak out of her cell most nights without being caught was like a thrilling game of hide-and-seek to her with insane stakes, and she was _very good_ at hide-and-seek.

She had been careful not to get caught, though it was a challenge to avoid both detection from the guards and ghost prisoners, the latter of which would create a loud upset by discovering she had been able to sneak out of her cell and alert the other guards to her whereabouts with their uproar. The constant fear and adrenaline always reminded her not to get too cocky and to always stay alert. One false move and her little daily "exercise" could be put to an end. Permanently.

Because of that, she managed to slow down and stealthily avoid the nearby guard mechanics, who were constructing a room-sized rectangular box in one of the down one of the hallways.

_Wonder what they're working on?_ she thought with fervent curiosity, but she quickly disregarded it as prison maintenance before slipping away, reminding herself she had a job to do. Thanks to the guards allowing her to keep her own clothes, since ghost clothing phased through her, she managed to sneak Sidney's handkerchief past the security search and scribble down a makeshift map of the prison on it, though she felt a small pool of guilt at having to stain it with ink. She had snuck a pen off one of the guards when he had to forcefully escort her, although she had to constantly concentrate to hold the spectral object with the Ghost Zone's unstable atmosphere. While the strange laws of physics were subjective here, as she didn't fall through the floor she walked on or be unable to eat the food they provided to her, certain pockets of the Ghost Zone were prone to instability. With this idea in mind, she began to formulate a plan of escape.

She wasn't allowed with the other prisoners aside from being escorted to meals in the cafeteria, so it got very crowded in her cell very quickly. It was all the entertainment she had since they had stripped her of all her other possessions. They had taken many things off of her when she was imprisoned. Her satchel, her phone, even the tampons she had scored from the Storage Room, though she managed to sneak some of them beforehand. Her slight of hand pick-pocketing skills almost made up for all the times she had been made fun of for using magic tricks. Her end goal was to somehow locate Johnny 13's motorcycle, along with her belongings, and plan an escape route out of here.

If she was successful in finding the storage room, this would be her third escape attempt. The first time she escaped, she managed to slip past the guards when they were escorting her to the cafeteria for lunch and tried to get lost in a crowd of other ghostly inmates. However, the cold, weirdly energetic feeling of passing through so many ghosts at once was so unnerving, she quickly found herself paralyzed from the shock and easily caught by the guards. The second attempt was when she had bolted away during a headcount and accidentally slipped through a wall in the process. This was when she began to practice more with her intangibility by doing her little exercises every night. Her map was almost completed, most of it drawing a layout of buildings connected and arranged by status of security. She knew where the door was, but the real issue was how to get out.

There were guard towers filled with lookouts and search lights, not to mention a twenty foot wall with curling barbed wire and enough suppressive fire power to take out a herd of African elephants. Right now, it was just a matter of looking for her materials, specifically Johnny's bike. Her belongings, she knew, were in Walker's office, and of course, she knew she couldn't go anywhere near that until she was ready to leave for good. She had checked the other buildings, most of them being rows of inmates every other floor, and was slowly narrowing down which ones were left for storage.

It was when she had come to the end of her map that she noticed she had been down a hallway she had never seen before. The amount of cells were much less than the other buildings, but the security and technology was much more advanced. She noticed a small box suspended in midair with some bizarrely cute icons stamped onto it. It had a bunch of police tape wrapped around it, along with some bizarrely cute pink cat stickers and smiley faces on the sides, and a Do Not Open sticker with a paw print inside of it.

_Weird..._ _Why would someone put up that much protection all for just one tiny box?_ Ari thought to herself, not noticing until she heard the guards making their rounds down the corridor. Not focusing enough on the present situation, she was startled into unintentionally phasing into the wall behind her and landing smack onto the ground. Pulling herself up from the floor, she found herself surrounded by stacks of cardboard boxes on metal shelves and filing cabinets.

"Must be the prisoner archives or something," she mumbled to herself, glancing up before she began to curiously go through the files by name. "Hmmm... Dairy King, Danny Phantom, Delilah... Desiree!"

She quickly pulled out the file, revealing a paper-clipped mugshot of a woman with long black hair, red eyes, and green skin covered in ornamental jewelry and ancient blue harem clothing.

_Name: Desiree  
Aliases: Wishing Ghost, Jinn, Genie, Djinn_  
 _Category: 6_  
 _Status: Incarcerated_  
Security: Medium  
Location: Building B, Cell Block 246

_Bio: A wishing ghost born of the manifested spirit of a broken hearted harem girl, this female specter has the ability to grant wishes while having negative side effects to the wisher, adding to her strength and size. The more wishes she receives, the more powerful she becomes. Charged with reckless abandonment of humans and unauthorized matter manifestation for an indefinite amount of years. Keep away from all humans while in containment._

_So she was arrested too!_ Ari thought with glee. Looked like she wouldn't have to break out of prison after all. She could just wish to go home and pretend that none of this had ever happened. But since this ghost sounded like the equivalence of the Monkey's Paw, she'd have to be careful on how she phrased her wish. For curiosity's sake, she pulled out the Phantom file. She had heard his name come up quite a couple of times, but was unsure on how he fit together in the grand scheme of things. Maybe this file would give her a clue into who he was.

_Name: Danny Phantom_   
_Main File, Subsection A_   
_Aliases: Phantom, Ghost Boy, Dani Phantom_   
_Category: 7_   
_Status: At large, Wanted  
Security: Close  
Location: Unknown  
_

_Bio: This is a new, rare species of ghost known as a halfa, a ghost that is half human and can willfully change itself into human or ghost form. Presently unknown on which is original species of origin. Known under other aliases as Ghost Boy, Halfa, etc. (See File B for notes on Dani Phantom). Has large subset of powers outside of the usual ghostly abilities, including ice breathe, ghostly wails, etc. Charged for possession of real world contraband, trespassing, and driving unauthorized vehicles with sentence of one thousand years, as well as citing riots and aiding and abetting felons with a massive prison break. Current whereabouts are presently unknown. Extreme suppressive fire is needed._

Ghosts disguised as humans? That certainly was a terrifying thought, though she recalled hearing that he was a local hero from one of her classmates, so he couldn't have been all that bad. While she was on a role, she scanned over the other files. It was a shame that the only files they had on hand were prisoner files, having next to nothing on Walker himself, which was disappointing, but she did manage to find a file on Wulf, Nocturne, and Spectra, and Johnny 13. Apparently, this wasn't the first time he'd ever been to prison. She couldn't read very much of the other files, other than seeing their basic files labeled them as Category 9, 8, 5, and 5 ghosts respectively, before she heard a door slam open.

"Don't forget to organize shelves A - P for new evidence, Box Ghost," ordered one of the guards to the blue ghost in overalls, who was carrying in a large stack of boxes.

"Fine, fine. Keep your shirts on," Box Ghost grumbled, sour that he was treated as inferior to the other ghosts by doing their dirty work. Still, it got a few years off of his sentence to do menial labor, plus working with boxes was what he did best. Floating around the room, he telekinetically unloaded the boxes with the wave of his hand and began moving said objects into their respective shelves: B for Bags, M for Miscellaneous, P for Plasma Rays, etc. While they floated to their respective shelves, he wrote down and checked off the objects he saw on his list.

While he did this, Ari cautious peeked from behind a shelve two rows down, noticing that the black and green Velocette Viper was one of the objects, though it was strangely covered in bubble wrap. Distracted by possibility of escape, a loud creak came from the shelf she leaned on.

"Who's in here?" he cried out, as if expecting an answer. Ari pushed herself against one of the shelves, her pulse quickening in her chest as the ghost examined the warehouse. "You cannot hide from me, for I am THE BOX GHOST!"

She made no noise, fighting to keep her breathing quiet as she edged herself to phase through the wall, but forgot that she had felt the ghost files slip through her hands and land on the floor with a clatter, causing her to become full solid once again.

Taking that as an indication of where she was, the Box Ghost quickly shouted "BEWARE!" and closed in on his target as Ari quickly began to sprint into the other direction. Unlucky for her, she had run smack dab into the ghost and felt the cold chill of ectoplasm over her skin before she felt herself slip into unconsciousness.

 


	10. What the Cameras Caught

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To underestimate your opponent is a grave mistake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to mention why I dubbed Johnny 13 "Johnathan Cade" : I named him after Johnathan Cade, aka "Ponyboy" from the Outsiders. He seems to fit the profile for the time period as well as personality.

Sitting back in his official office chair, Walker observed the many cameras placed in his prison with his hands folded under his chin. He liked to think of himself as a reasonable man. He ran his jail like a tight ship, kept his prisoners in line, and snuffed out most rebellions before they even started. He kept order within his cold steel walls and ruled with an iron fist. But recently, he had been noticing a little... hiccup in his usual order.

His latest prisoner, a human girl, had been a problem. She was smarter than the average criminal, already quickly learning that she could move through ghost jail walls because of her human physiology, and knew when to sneak out of her cell when the security was at its weakest. Yet despite all this, she always returned to her cell and somehow remained ignorant of his many security cameras. This had left him intrigued.

Normally, the prison would have been on high alert of an escaped criminal, Walker nearly sent someone to recapture the girl the first time she had snuck out, but she had returned to her cell as quickly as she had left it, so he felt no need to send for alarm. The next night, she had tried again, venturing a little further than the last escapade before she returned back to the cell. These weren't botched escape attempts. She was studying them. No, this girl clearly had a mission in coming here, but what it was, he couldn't figure out.

His subordinate Bullet entered the security room, the second-in-command being the only other officer who knew of Walker's plans. While Walker didn't trust a whole lot of folks, he trusted Bullet with his life, and that trust was proven countless amount of times with the many scars and injuries Bullet had sustained over the years and now wore proudly like they were his trophies.

"How's Jane Doe nightly walk?" Bullet asked the warden, dubbing the human as Jane Doe since he nor Walker couldn't put an identification on her. It was extremely unlikely that a human could end up in the Ghost Zone by accident, not mention unusual for them be trapped here since most natural portals would just as quickly open up for the human to escape. Most people who ended up here came from the portal in Bermuda, though it was extremely finicky even for a natural portal and would end up transporting people into different timelines entirely.

"A bit boring, actually. She just passed the new cell district. Speaking of which, how's the progress on the suspended animation chamber?" Walker inquired, Bullet scratching under his bandana with an exhausted sigh.

"With the work that's being put in, it should be officially installed in three days," Bullet replied, Walker's furrowed brow turning into a slight grin. Well, there was some good news at least... until he heard him finished with, "As far as being boring, sir, you might want to take a look at Camera Two." He pointed to a maneuvering Inari, who had snuck into one of the higher security prison blocks.

"What the-! How did she get into Sector 3?!" Walker exclaimed, slammed his palms onto the metal desk.

"I believe most of the guards were on break, sir," was Bullet's reply. Walker felt his teeth grind together as he pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a slow build to an oncoming headache.

_We'll have to change that,_ he thought darkly to himself. Delicate documents and evidence was held in that storage house, not to mention one of the most highly guarded maximum security inmates that only Walker and Bullet had clearance to enter. The fact that there was a lax in security was poor judgement and staff management on his part. He hated that, but that was a thing he was hoping to change very soon. Until then, he would have to put his investigation on hold and beef up her security, especially since the Box Ghost now began wrecking through the storage room, discovering he could use the human like a suit of armor to escape the prison.

"Eat cardboard!" the Box Ghost-Inari shouted as she floated in the air and flung dozens of boxes at the prison guards.

"Tell the staff there's going to be some guard reassignment," Walker said as he whistled for Wulf to follow him outside of his office. "Looks like we'll have to keep a tighter leash on Miss Jane Doe." Even in the presence of entropy, he was still in control. Whatever this girl's mission was, he would find out eventually, and when he did, he'd lock her up, and this time, he'd make sure she'd stay put.

* * *

Penelope Spectra had always been a clever person. Even in life, she was a master manipulator. She knew how people worked. When she was human, she had worked as a psychologist and a guidance counselor for a local school before a certain chain of events led to the decay of her life and eventual demise.

Drinking in all of the human girl's emotions had left her absolutely drunk on misery. She knew how the girl worked. An introverted girl with over crippling shyness leads her to living a life filled with loneliness; it was how a lot of cat ladies were made. She had seen it all before, but never quite at this scale. She had dealt with troubled teens with problems ranging from drug addicts to teenage pregnancy, but there was something about this girl in particular that felt different. Something darker, more primal and ancient. The thought only made her want to play with her food more, poking it around and around to see what its insides were like. If only she had Nocturne's powers.

His ability to see the inner thoughts and desires of others through dreams was one thing she felt envious about. She could only guess and speculate on what a person was thinking, but he could actually see dreams, thoughts, and memories of others. His power was the definition of "a picture's worth a thousand words," and she knew she wouldn't be able to nearly come up with enough words to determine what others were thinking like he could. She almost hated him for it, but she couldn't let petty jealousy get in the way.

Right now, she needed to focus on the matter at hand. She needed to get out of this hellhole. Pretty women don't do well inside jail, especially her in particular. If she didn't feed regularly, her youth would start to fade again, along with her strength. Soon, she would be a husk of what she once was, and she would rather die again than have to let anyone see her like that.

She currently was working on her community service with the Lunch Lady, handing out food towards the prisoners wearing those god-awful hairnets. As she began preparing for the morning breakfast rush, she popped open thermos and began pouring a heavy mixture of beans and meat from it. It was virtually identical to the Fenton thermos, which made it almost too easy to switch it out and sneak the replacement into the human girl's bag when the latter had passed out from stress. She wasn't even going to go into detail on how excruciating it was to sneak it past the guards when they were searched, but it had made it all almost worthwhile. Originally, she had switched it out in order for herself to have a means of escape and capturing Walker, but the fact that the human was incarcerated because of it made the chase all the more sweeter.

"Chili, anyone?" she smiled cheerfully as she began scooping out the soup with her ladle. Her plan with Nocturne was slowly coming together, and nothing would stand in her way.


	11. A Prison Without Bars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The cages that contain us are not always physical.

It has been what felt like days since her encounter in the prisoner archive room, and Ari had hardly gotten an ounce of sleep since then. Dreams dredging up old incidents haunted her every waking moment, and to make matters worse, Wulf was now her personal jailer. He always slept in front of her prison door, since he had been the only guaranteed protection that could keep her there and could hunt her down if she tried to make a break for it. Most would have thought it to be overkill, but since Wulf instilled the most fear in Ari, Walker had thought it best to keep the ghost hound around her at all times to keep her from getting any more ideas about escaping.

Not only was Wulf in charge of keeping her in, he was in charge of keeping the other ghosts out. During her adventure to the prison archives, a ghost had accidentally possessed her. It was like having a constant cold shiver always running down your spine, but you were too numb to feel or do anything about it. She hadn't even aware that anything had happened until she felt something sever the connection the ghost had on her mind. The haze had cleared instantly the moment she saw the ghost sprawled out on the floor between Wulf's long, green claws. The image haunted her, and she wanted to do nothing more than to forget and escape this purgatory. Unfortunately, she couldn't even escape into her dreams anymore.

Memories kept flooding into her mind whenever she felt the urge to sleep take over, bringing up past insecurities as well as present fears. Even the incident with the ghost possession wandered into her night terrors, and had somehow become the main subject of her dreams. While she had been possessed, Ari's body had still somehow aware of everything that was going on around her, picking up bits of information like muscle memory that streamed back into her mind. It scared her to death to question what she had done or could have been doing before Wulf freed her. When she was possessed, it was like all her free-will was instantly flipped off like a light-switch, and she had to walk around blindly in the dark order to turn on the light again.

The nightmares she received regularly seemed to go back over what had happened while Ari stood back like a bystander in her own dream, watching the events take place on the wayside with no control or ability to shape them to her will. For the most part, the entire incident was like she had completely blacked out, the images coming out as a blurred mixture of sounds and emotions. But the thing that always stuck with her when she woke up was how clearly she could remember the tremendous power and helplessness she felt when she was possessed by the Box Ghost. The way that she had forcefully pinned the guards that had once dragged her away, the way she buried them with large avalanche of cardboard boxes. She had never had telekinetic powers before. It was... invigorating, and that was the thing that had terrified her the most, the fear of letting power overwhelm her, of letting her emotions get out of control.

She was in awe and at the same time frightened of herself, of what she had become because deep down, she realized that, in a messed up sort of way, she liked it. To feel power, to have control over her life, was something that she hadn't felt in a long time. Aside from every incident up that lead up until now, her old life in Eerie was fairly controlled.

She always had to a model student, get perfect grades, be the child that always succeeded, and she did just exactly that and more. But after she had spent almost all of her eighteen years being the model student, she realized that she had somehow lost herself along the way. When she thought back to her argument with her mother over the divorce, it made her wonder if she ever had gone through her rebellious streak? Was this her reward or punishment for not living like everyone else, for being imperfect for just once?

She tried not to think too much about it, because if she fell asleep, the issue would be brought all over again. Needless to say, after having to deal with that horrifying feeling and the nightmares that followed later, added with the fact that she had new 'bodyguard,' Ari had grudgingly kept herself from falling asleep, mostly by pacing in her cell. She often thought better when she paced, though it didn't seem to work much for her now, her mind barely lucid from lack of sleep.

Her limbs ached and creaked from the strain of constantly being awake, her eyes watered easily and turned bloodshot. Sometimes she could swear she saw little black dots that looked like spiders out of the corner of her eye. Everything felt fuzzy all the time, and the smell of grime, sweat, and blood was starting to seep into her clothes and become a part of her natural scent. She couldn't even remember how long she had been here, but it was long enough that her period had stopped. Her fear of Wulf was even starting to dwindle down. Was this how people normally reacted to isolation? By slowly falling into madness? She wasn't in total isolation, but she had never felt more alone.

With the large amount of time she had been given, she ended up reflecting on what had gotten in here. She asked herself all kinds of questions. Did anyone care that she was gone? How much homework would she miss and have to make up now? She could pretty much kiss any hopes of getting perfect attendance goodbye. Part of her just wanted to give up because it seemed like she would never leave this hellhole, but the more stubborn and competitive side of her saw this as a challenge and quickly shoved all notions of resorting to laziness down the drain.

The one question that did keep coming up, no matter how much she tried not to think about it, was the one relating to why her parents were getting divorced. To the best of her knowledge, they had always seemed happy. But then again, both sides of her family were pretty good at reigning in their emotions and shoving them into a box.

_"Don't make a scene, Inari. We can't have that kind of behavior in front of our guests. I didn't raise you that way. Just smile and behave. This is a very important business venture for your father."_

_"Suck it up, be a man! Fauxs don't show their tears, especially over something so trivial. Just walk it off and rub some dirt in it. You'll be fine."_

Was it something she had done? Had she not been the perfect model student for them up until now? Just how long had her parents been faking? Had she been aware and just ignored it? More importantly, what was going to happen now? She couldn't think of her parents _not_ being together. In fact, the strange thought terrified her. She had this picture all her life that they were this big happy family and that they were always going to be together. That there would always be summers filled with cookouts, popsicles, and fireworks. Now she was unsure if she would ever be able to enjoy summer again, or even her older memories of home; it hurt too much to think about it. Was this why they had moved to Aunt Ayame's? Because they couldn't afford the house anymore? Were they poor now?

Tons of questions like this began piling higher and higher in her head until she was left stewing in her cell. She was on a short fuse now, and through all the delirium, fear, and hunger, her anger was the only thing that kept her going. Soon even anger turned to misery and eventually despair.

_It's all mom's fault. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be here, rotting in a cell! I would be home, sitting under my oak tree. It's all her fault! Always her fault! All her fault! All her...!_ She stopped before curling up on the floor, hugging her knees to her chest.

_It's all... my... fault..._

She was such a fool. She should have seen the signs. Her dad kept taking more and more of his things with him on business trips. He would hardly ever visit, and even when he was home, he was tired and unresponsive. The house always held an uncomfortable atmosphere when he came home, like he didn't want to be there.

_"Right now, I wish I was anywhere but here, especially with you!"_

She had wished to have been anywhere else, but this wasn't what she had in mind! Was that what had gotten her sent here? Because she wanted to escape? She wanted to crawl into a ball and block everything out. But withdrawing into herself wouldn't change the situation; that's what got her into this mess.

At the sound of the lunch bell, her thoughts were put on hold as the cell automatically unlocked its clear door. Ari painfully willed herself to get up, the instinct for hunger being the only thing that drove her now. Since she was getting virtually no sleep, hunger was the only feeling left inside her that she could act on without feeling any remorse or internal discourse. The ghost food was edible, but it wasn't enough to completely sustain her. It wasn't real food, and because of Walker's rules, the teenager couldn't even have any of the confiscated food.

Still, she shakily walked out of her cell because the promise of food was stronger than her pride. Her limbs hung weakly from her shoulders like limp tree vines from sleep deprivation and energy strains before she suddenly found herself leaning up against her wolfish bodyguard. She remembered reading somewhere that animals can sense human emotions. Maybe it was the same for animal ghosts, or whatever Wulf was, because he had strangely let her calmly stroke his fur. He didn't seem to perceive her as much of a threat, so maybe that's why he let her mess with his fur. It was a small comfort, and it did make her feel less afraid of the anthropomorphic wolf.

At some point earlier during her incarceration, Ari decided that simply didn't care anymore about anything. Time was irrelevant to her other than to slowly count down how her will to live was burning out, and her common sense was shot from her lack of sleep. They say that a person often has their strangest ideas when they are tired, and Ari was the definition of tired. What she did next was either out of sheer boredom or stupidity. During one of their walks to the cafeteria, Ari reached out and cautiously pat Wulf's fur. And this was how it originally started as. A simple pat on the back. When Wulf was curled up outside of her cell, her hand would reach through the ghostly force-field and pat him on the back. She would immediately retract her hand back into her cell as soon as he snapped at the unexpected touch.

Over time, her fear was now dulled to the point where she was more bored than afraid. Since she didn't sleep, the familiar feeling of drunkenness made her actions more daring, reckless, impulsive, and unpredictable. At one point, during one of their walks to the cafeteria, she had unconsciously patted Wulf's shoulder. While it wasn't the smartest move for her to make, he didn't seem to mind. She wasn't strong enough to be perceived as a threat.

When Walker wasn't around to order him around, he acted pretty much like any other dog. She was reminded of a clumsy Great Dane mix named Dodger that always wandered into the road back home. No matter how many times cars had slowed down or honked their horns at him, he still refused to leave the road unless he wanted to or his master called him over. He was independent and stubborn, and perceived himself to be higher on the food chain. His strength brought her thoughts back to her possession dream.

Psychological implications aside, the dreams had reminded her how good it felt to have power again, and the crushing burden that weighed on her when she awoke helpless and weak only made her crave it more. That small thought made Ari realize that no matter what she would do, a human could never break out of here, at least, not on their own. If she had the help of a ghost and have them use their powers, maybe she could break out of here and get back home. The abilities she witnessed from the ghosts she encountered seemed like the right balance to counteract the forces that kept her here. Even the Box Ghost was someone she could use, however small scale his powers were.

Wulf was also another possibility. He was strong enough to take on any ghost that she had seen (even his file named him a class nine ghost), not to mention Ari had been bonding with him over the course of a couple days, so there was always a good chance that he'd let her use him to hold off the guards long enough to help track down Desiree. Ari was still slightly concerned on the risk of dealing with an entity that had been devolved and controlled by a power-hungry warden, but judging from her experiences with the canine, Wulf wasn't so much as dumb as he just understood things in a different way. Walker's whistles and commands seemed to hit some sort of frequency that only Wulf understood, so if Ari could somehow tap into that, she might be able to communicate with him.

Normally, she would've spent more time planning her escape again, but unfortunately, today was her breaking point. After barely managing to walk to the cafeteria after five days of no sleep, Ari suddenly felt a deep pressure in her chest, making it very hard to breathe. The room start,. Ari was barely able to keep her eyes open before her food tray clattered to the ground as Ari collapsed on the floor unconscious, her food splattering all over the ground like a gruesome crime scene. Silently watching her from a distance, a dark figure sunk to the floor before it appeared underneath the weary teenager while Wulf was distracted by the small cafeteria crowd gathering around her. The dark shadow's expression held a glittering, malicious smile and hungry red eyes as it finally laid claim to his prey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so you guys know, I hope to at least finish this story in maybe ten chapters or less because it's sort of the prequel for the full series I'm planning on doing.


	12. Autonomy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone has a breaking point.

"What happened?" asked one of the guards.

"The prisoner just collapsed."

"Take her to the infirmary. Make sure all the ghosts are returned to their cells." Right as the ghost guard moved in to grab her, the human girl suddenly grasped onto his arm and twisted it around before pressing him into the table. Though her bangs hid most of her expression, a wide, Glasgow grin stretched across her face, gleaming in vicious delight at the guard's pain before throwing him into the other guard's line of fire. As the remaining stationed prison guards sprung into action, the girl turned towards the cafeteria tables and levitated them in the air with a motion of her arms before sending them crashing into the group, knocking them out. She lowered her arms and rotated her wrists like she was just warming up, and examined her new hands with two bright piercing green eyes that peered underneath the long curtains of hair.

"Now this is more like it," 'Ari' smiled in manic glee, pleased with her new form. She pushed her bangs back and squinted with a slight frown. "Can hardly see a thing through these bangs though. Oh well! Beggars can't be choosers!" A low growl came from underneath the pile of guards before Wulf sliced through the tables with his long claws. "Oh, that's right. They've got her on guard dog duty," she frowned before lowering her voice to sound like Walker's and announced the word, " _Punish."_ Immediately the word shocked the beast as sparks of electricity crackled from his collar coursed through him until he fell down on all fours, temporarily paralyzed by the painful voltage.

"Looks like all of Nocturne's dream information was correct. I had no idea that this human was so skilled in ventriloquy," 'Ari' spoke in admiration, before wincing at the sudden ache in her limbs. "Though these humans are so fragile. Her body feels awful, and her fashion sense is atrocious. No matter. Both can be alleviated with time." While she admired herself, the other ghosts around her gradually began to take initiative. Now that Wulf was out of the picture, the Lunch Lady began forming herself into large piles of meat and Skulker began grabbing arsenal from the unconscious guards. It hadn't been hard to convince either to breakout out of prison. Skulker didn't like being kept like the creatures he hunted and the Lunch Lady had had more than her fair share of disagreements with the kitchen staff on how the food was to be prepared.

"Rally the other ghosts and buy me some time. I need to pick someone up," 'Ari' ordered before running down the hall before stopping in front of the correct door.

"Auto-lock cell 134, unlock," she spoke into the cell microphone before a series of tumblers and gears turned before the cell door opened. Shadows began to quickly recede from the corners of the room before the dream ghost reformed into a large spiral at the center of the doorway.

"Well done, Miss Spectra," Nocturne praised with a smirk. "I expected nothing less."

"You can thank me later," Ari-Spectra stated anxiously. "The guards are distracted now, but it's only a matter of time until more show up."

"Then we best get to work," Nocturne spoke as he held out his arms. "Sleepwalkers, form!" Multitudes of Sleepwalker ghosts began appearing like mist in a bog. Their haunting wails echoed throughout the jail as Nocturne pointed a long, bony finger. "Go, my minions! Unleash hell!" The ghosts began taking off in every direction, despite having their eyes sewn shut, and floated off down the halls.

"I'm impressed. That many minions running off one girl's dreams?" Ari-Spectra gave him a pleased smirk. "I can only imagine what you could do with an entire town of humans."

"Just make sure to keep her under. My Sleepwalkers can only appear if there are humans sleeping nearby, since they do not belong on the mortal plane. As long as the girl remains asleep, my Sleepwalkers shall remain."

"After this is over, I still get to feed off her, right?"

"You kept your end of the bargain. I think it's only fair that I keep mine. After all, I am a ghost of my word."

"Wonderful," she smiled menacingly as Ari's eyes turned blood red.

* * *

Meanwhile, Walker was taking some serious heat from this prison riot that had broken out.

"Sector Three, head towards the exits of the common area and set up a blockade. I don't care what you do or how you do it, but just make it happen!"

"I told you taking a human prisoner was a bad idea, Walker."

"Shut it, Pilot. I am aware of the risks. You just focus on making sure the inmates are kept _inside_ the jail. Me and my boys are going to... take care of the situation." He turned and looked at the security detail that remained. "Under no circumstances does the closed security detail open, do you understand?" Walker ordered before mumbling to himself. "God help us all if one of those things gets out..." His second in command gave him a long look before heading out with the rest of the task force, deciding to have this conversation another day. Right as he was about to join them was when an unwanted guest had phased into the office.

"Hello, boys~" Ari-Spectra gave them a sultry smile before using their equipment against them and shocking them into submission.

"You!?" Walker exclaimed before holding up his weapon. "I knew you were planning something."

"Guilty," she smirked, giving him a non-noncommittally shrug, failing to notice that Wulf had recovered and stalked behind her. Seeing a shadow lurk at the corner of her eye, the werewolf ghost slashed out at her before he was thrown back by two Sleepwalkers into Walker.

"Bad doggy. Punish," Ari-Spectra ordered, feigning disappointment as she watched him with delight in seeing him twitch in pain on the floor.

"Don't just stand there, you mutt! Attack!" Walker ordered angrily, tints of green flushing in his face as he was crushed under the beast's weight.

"Ah ah ah," Ari-Spectra tutted before she manipulated her voice into sounding like Walker's. _"Punish."_ The confused Wulf let out an anguished yelp as his collar let out a painful series of shocks that channeled into Walker as well, being in close proximity to the collar. Both collapsed on the ground as the smell of burnt flesh scorched through the air.

Ari-Spectra then walked towards Walker's desk and manipulated her voice over the intercom. "Emergency release. All cell doors open and deactivate." A loud siren began to blare as all the security cameras now showed large swarms of ghosts fleeing from their cells. In the room she currently was in, a line of Sleepwalkers made their way towards the control center and detained any remaining guards in their path before the sleep ghosts parted for their nightmare king.

"You ordered the release for every cell, then?" Nocturne asked Ari-Spectra.

"Yep. All taken care of," Ari-Spectra replied with a cheerful enthusiasm that reminded her of her days as acting as a guidance counselor in the human world. Feeling the same kind of superiority, she looked down at Wulf, who pathetically tucked his tail between his legs in shame and whimpered on the ground. "Wulf, huh? More like overgrown puppy dog. Puni-" Ari-Spectra scoffed snootily before she felt her body suddenly freeze. "Grrharg...!" For a moment, the Sleepwalkers flickered out of existence.

"Spectra, what is going on?" Nocturne inquired as Ari's body began to shake and shiver.

"The girl... she's... fighting back!" Ari-Spectra clenched her teeth, trying to keep her shaky movements under control. "She doesn't like... what I'm doing to the stupid mutt!"

"Just feed off of her energy."

"I would, but it's taking more effort to feed than it is to keep her pinned down!" she let out a hiss. "Why is she able to fight back?!"

"It's probably because when predators share food with scavengers, one of them gets less of the kill than the other," Walker declared with a weak, smug grin. "I wonder which one of you will be left with the scraps?"

Ari-Spectra felt her nails prick into the arms of her hoodie as she clenched in frustration. Her eyes flashed angrily as the color shifted back and forth from green to brown before they settled on a crimson red. Her mind felt a bit stretched until the tension was suddenly broken by a sharp, subconscious tug.

**"Collar... unlock,"** Ari-Spectra choked out, mimicking Walker's voice, causing Wulf's shock collar to come undone and fall off. Ari-Spectra briefly fell over and leaned on her knees, gripping the denim fabric of her jeans until she could grasp some semblance of control. Then the shaking came to a gradual halt. The werewolf ghost tentatively felt around his neck and cautiously leaned down to sniff the collar before he was alerted to the surrounding guards in the room.

When the guards raised their batons, the hackles on his back rose as he let out a low, ominous growl. For so long, he had endured their pain and torment. Now, a tortured, cornered animal was free of the one thing that made him behave, and now he was pissed.

* * *

Everything hurt.

A gash on Ari's forehead and the many lacerations on her body were signals that something was very, very wrong. Her hands were covered with cuts and bruises, her clothing stained with some unidentifiable green ooze. Her head was pounding with traces of a migraine, and her body felt somehow worse than when she had stayed awake with no sleep. Her vision blurred momentarily before it focused on a dark, fuzzy figure in front of her that she gradually realized was Wulf, though his claws chipped and broken and covered with some sort of slimy, green substance. His panting was erratic and breathless, as if he had just run a marathon, only his clothing and fur were torn and singed rather than dowsed with sweat. Could he even sweat? Well, since he was a dog, maybe he could only pant.

_Yeah. That's the thing I need to be focusing on,_ Ari berated herself. What had happened when she was out? Where was Wulf's collar?

Then slowly, memories floated back to her in fragments while Ari sat there and watched, an observer to her own actions, except they weren't her actions. They were Spectra's. In it, she saw Wulf repeatedly maim and deliver blows towards Spectra and anyone else that got near. Bits of electricity, smoke, and fire lit up the like a war-zone. He could have fled, but for some reason he refused to leave Ari's side. The teenager was stunned. This poor, mistreated creature had been beaten down and broken, betrayed by everything and loyal to nothing. He should have run and fled like the beaten animal he was, yet he had fought- to make sure if she was safe, she didn't know. The only thing that she did understand was that, while she was in pain, she was free and it was because of Wulf. Words began to fail her as she tried to express the immense gratitude she felt towards the wolfish ghost, whether or not his actions were selfless.

"Thank you..." was all that she said. Wulf gave her one brief snort with what something that looked like his way of acknowledging her before tearing open a large gash into the side of the wall that gave off a supernatural energy and jumping into it.

The prison was empty, aside from the bodies that littered the ground. Only thing left was the swirling tear in reality. She didn't know where it would go or where it would lead. Odds are it would probably be a dead end or send her farther away from her destination if she used it. Like many other times this week, she didn't know what she was doing. No safety net, no time to plan ahead or think things through rationally. Just pure, gut instinct. It was wild. It was crazy. It was almost maddening.

It was exhilarating.

"Damn you..." groaned a voice, their speech garbled in pain. The bloodied, gloved hand belonged to none other than the prison warden himself.

"You should have never kept me here," Ari finally spoke, unsure if her words were anger-ridden or apologetic.

"You'll get a life sentence for this...!" he gritted his teeth, trying to bite back the pain-filled moan threatening to break free. Despite nearly being torn in-half, he still acted like he was still in control. Ari wasn't sure if she respected him for that or thought he was just being arrogant. "Do you realize what you've done?! You've released some of the most dangerous inmates in the universe into the Ghost Zone!"

For a moment, Ari let his words sink in. Then she remembered what had brought her here and felt the last bit of sympathy slipped from her eyes. She was just done. Done with everything and everyone. She didn't know if it was the lack of sleep or the stress of being in this hellish dimension, but she felt something break inside her.

"I'm sorry, but since when was that my problem?" she spoke coolly, her icy, venomous glare making him uneasy. Was this the same human girl he had taken into custody? Ari was about to step through the portal when she saw a glimmer of long black hair and long blue, ghostly tail. _Desiree!_

Bringing herself back up to speed on what her goal actually was, she bolted towards the direction of the wishing ghost, pushing her body as much as it would let her. Unfortunately, the lack of sleep had taxed heavily on her health. Running became a strenuous effort. Her legs screamed with every step, weighing down like they were gradually turning into lead. Her lungs burst with every breathe until her throat felt raw. Still she pushed on, letting out a weak, defeated cry as the wishing ghost got further and further way.

_Damn it! I'll never catch up to her at this rate!_ Ari cursed, trying to think of a faster way to catch up. If only she knew where the storage room was from here. Then she could grab Johnny's motorcycle and catch up with her. Desperate, she looked down the hallways for any sign of familiarity. Thankfully, the Box Ghost had been nearby and was fending himself off a group of guards that had not been detained.

"Beware! Your flimsy sticks are useless against my bubble-wrap of death!" he screeched as he sent spirals of pink bubble-wrap around the guards until they were immobilized. Noticing that the excess of bubble-wrap was not coming, she followed the trail until she arrived at the infamous storage room. She quickly ran by all the shelves before her eyes locked onto the. She tugged harshly at the bike, but not before pocketing a Fenton thermos just in case things went wrong.

She tugged the bike upright and grabbed onto the hand-grips, only to find her hand shaking over the clutch lever, hesitating to turn the vehicle on. It had been so long since she had been on a bike. Could she do it again? She clasped her hand over her other to forcefully squeeze it enough to stop the shaking. No! She couldn't hesitate now! Not when she had come so close! Not giving her a chance to second guess herself, she kicked the motorcycle into gear and sped down the hallway, though it was not an easy task. The gears on the bike were different than what she was used to, and the narrow hallways made it difficult to move fast and do tight turns. She decided to bite the bullet and try anyways. Bank left, turn right, forward, brake, hit the gas! She felt herself slip into the old commands as muscle memory took over. She was almost lost herself until the sight of a blue ghostly tail brought her back.

They were now near the watchtower and the large prison gates, which had been thrown open by the sheer amount of ghosts leaving. Veering the bike in the direction she desired, Ari hit the gas and aimed straight ahead. She had Desiree right where she wanted her. Not wanting to take any chances, Ari awkwardly opened the thermos with one hand and held it up while she bit down on the lid with her teeth to hold it in place. A large green and blue blast fired out of the thermos, encasing Desiree as she let out a surprised cry before she was abruptly pulled back like tractor beam until she was completely sucked inside. Shifting the balance on her motorcycle, Ari used both of her arms to snap the lid on tight and pocketed the cylinder in her hoodie pocket. Then she let out a long winded sigh and smiled for the first time since she had been in this damn prison.

However, she had failed to notice that she was running out of track until it was too late. The motorcycle swan dived awkwardly at a ninety degree angle from the lack of guidance and dropped from the ghostly prison, flying aimlessly down into the lower portion of the Ghost Zone. Gripping tightly onto the handles, Ari felt a scream die in her throat as she tried to force the bike to work like how Johnny had steered it, but it was no use. She wasn't use to the old model, grinding gears when she shouldn't, and had no grasp of how to drive a bike through aimless space with no roads. It kicked and bucked like a bronco, suddenly stopping and starting, like it was trying to knock her off while Ari was just desperate to find a place to land. Misjudging the distance and sudden shift of her weight, the bike threw them into what looked like a Torii gate and disappeared underneath it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, Ari is FINALLY out of prison! My GOD, it took FOREVER for me to get her out! There was so much story building that I had to do, and I kept having all these different scenarios of how she would get out. Honestly though, I'm pretty satisfied with what I've come up with and hope you guys are too. Sorry for the long wait and please do review, favorite, and follow!


End file.
